Hall of Fame
by RedXTrouble
Summary: What if Gon had a twin sister that took the exam with him? Genesis Freecss is twelve years old, and while her brother goes off in search of their father, she wants nothing to do with her old man. But she swore to protect Gon, even if that means confronting the man that caused them so much grief. So it would seem she is now an examinee in the Hunter Exam.
1. Part 1: Kite X Gon X Genesis

**Author's Note:** _Welcome my fellow HxH fans! This is a side project of mine (Red being my main priority). This is kind of...just...like a retelling of the story through the eyes of my OC...GENESIS! She's Gon's twin sister. I hope that whole 'retelling' thing doesn't throw you off. Now, before we begin, I have a little info for you guys to keep in mind. Gon calls Genesis, Gen. That is pronounced like "Jen" like short for "Jenny." Understood? Good. Moving on. I wasn't sure how old they were in episode one (you know, when Gon met Kite) I thought they were eleven, but someone told me they were nine...Well, let's just say they were eleven for arguments sake. They'll still be 12 when they go for the exam so it doesn't really matter much! As for a pairing for her...I'll let you guys have fun with that. I know who it is, but you guys can speculate all you want. This is more of a friendship/sibling story, but there will be plenty of fluff and romanticies (not a word but oh well). By planning...this story has about 8 parts (arcs) give or take a few. Yes, it is the story written from her POV (third person though). Some things may be different, because well, with a new character, not EVERYTHING can stay the same. Don't worry, I don't think it will be boring though (I've seen a lot of stories about the show from an OC's POV, so I hope no one disregards this just because of that fact) __When I write a chapter, I watch the episode that holds the events to see what happens...and make alterations as needed, but I try not to affect the flow too much, like I don't want to stop Gon from getting on the boat and meeting Kurapika & Leorio! This chapter...is long. It's an introduction. The other chapters probably won't be this long ( but they might. I don't know)_

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 1_

_Kite X Gon X Genesis_

* * *

"Gon, come on!" Genesis shouted, digging her feet into the ground to stop her from running into a tree.

Behind her, Gon laid face first in the ground, weakly pushing himself onto his elbows. She whipped her head around to see him sitting up and tugging at something around his ankles. With a sigh of aggravation she rushed back to him, pulling on the root that he had tripped on and managed to get his foot caught in. They both looked up when they heard a growl and tried ferociously again to remove the root from Gon, not wanting to get quite so close to the fox-bear.

"I have an idea," Genesis said, standing up and walking to stand behind Gon. She bent her knees and reached down, grabbing Gon under his arms.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, pulling his arms away.

The girl huffed and grabbed his arms again after smacking him on the head. "I'm going to try pulling you out. You, on the other hand, try wiggling your foot. Maybe we can get it loose that way."

Gon gave a quick nod and moved his foot in different directions, letting out a yelp when Genesis started pulling on him. That earned him another smack with a comment mumbled under the other's breath. By that point, the fox-bear was right in front of them, and Genesis fell onto her bottom behind Gon. The animal moved in for an attack and Genesis wrapped her arms around Gon's torso, holding tightly and burying her face in the back of his neck.

Just then, she heard the animal's cry, but the attack never came. Not to them anyway. By the time Genesis looked up, still contemplating whether it was safe to relinquish her hold on Gon or not, the fox-bear was no longer on the attack and looked rather dead in fact. In front of them, between them and the fox-bear, was a man holding a sword. He had long blond hair with a maroon hat over the top of his head, and as he advanced towards them, she noted that he had yet to to place his sword back in it's sheath

Genesis held tighter to Gon, much to his protest, as the man stopped in front of them. She tensed as he raised his sword and flinched when he brought it down on the root, ultimately freeing Gon from its grasp.

"Can you kids stand up?" the man asked.

"I could," came Gon's reply, "if she wasn't holding me so tight."

Genesis flushed a little and pulled her arms back, making sure his head got another light hit as she stood up. Dusting off her own clothes, she put her hand down to lift the boy up, but he had already stood and was untangling the root from around his foot. Once the root hit the ground, Gon shook his leg, glad to be free of its constriction.

Out of the corner of her eye, Genesis saw the man draw his arm back (the sword no longer in his hands) and instantly slid to stand in front of Gon, bracing her arms in front of her face. The man obviously didn't expect this as his fist collided with the girl's crossed arms, sending her falling backwards on top of Gon.

"Don't you kids know better than to walk around Snake Beech Forest this time of year?" the man asked as Genesis let her arms fall and scooted away from Gon. "See that?" he pointed to a tree not too far off from the trio, "That's the sign of the fox-bear's territory. Even the stupidest animals know how dangerous it is to be here. Didn't your fathers teach you something as simple as that?"

While the man spoke, Genesis inspected her arms, noticing a tender spot on the right one, the one that had been hit. A bruise would form. She was certain of it. And her hat had been knocked off as well. Her orange hat, with random pink and white designs littered across the front of it, was lying a few feet behind Gon, and she easily leaned over and picked it up, brushing against the boy and noticing his shaking. Before pulling back with her hat, she used her remaining three fingers (which weren't holding the hat) to give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

She pulled back and kept her eyes on Gon as the man's words began to sink in. Gon's eyes were shaking, and he had a look of guilt on his face masking the sadness that Genesis was now showing perfectly. As Gon lowered his head and began to stand, Genesis pushed herself back up and replaced her sadness with anger. Now, the man had stepped away and was mumbling to himself, and when Gon opened his mouth to speak, she put her hand in front of him.

"We don't have a father," she said, crossing her arms and tightening her fingers around her hat. "Our parents died when we were babies. One big accident and 'kaboom' they're gone. We have an aunt, but she doesn't talk to us much about the forest. Probably not even supposed to be here." Now that she had the explaining out of the way, she was ready to blow up. "And what right do you have to try and hit my brother? Only I can do that!"

Gon made a sound of protest but was silenced when Genesis reached back with her hand that held the hat and smacked his arm, leaving him mumbling words such as 'unfair' and 'mean' under his breath at her. She could hear him though, and he knew that well.

"Sorry about hitting you, kid," he said, still facing away from them.

"I don't want your apology," Genesis said, "It's Gon you upset."

This time the man turned towards them slightly, having not even the slightest reaction to the brown eyed glare he was getting from the young girl. Gon peered at him from behind his sister's shoulder but shied back a little when his eyes met the man's.

"Are you alright kid?" he asked.

Gon nodded but Genesis stamped her foot, huffing in annoyance. "You're asking the wrong questions to the wrong people!" she shouted. "You should be apologizing to Gon for upsetting him. You should be making sure _you _didn't hurt _me _with your brutality!"

The man's eyes showed amusement at Genesis' whine but spoke to her in reply anyway. "You know some big words for a little girl," he said. "Are _you_ alright?"

Genesis' face deadpanned and she made a silent 'duh' sound with her mouth and shook her head with a roll of her eyes. She looked behind her and gasped upon realizing that Gon wasn't there. Spinning back around, she saw that he was running towards the dead fox-bear, a confusing thought until she realized that there was a baby fox-bear beside it.

"Gon!" she whined, chasing after him. By the time she reached him, Gon was already knelt down with the fox-bear cub in his arms. "What are you doing?"

"We should raise him, Gen!" Gon said, looking over his shoulder at her. "Here, hold him!" Gon held the cub out to his sister, who reached forward with gentle fingers, only to pull back when it hissed at her.

"No way, Gon. That thing doesn't like me," she said, scrunching up her nose. "And I don't like it, either."

The man took a few steps towards them, and Genesis sent him a glare out of the corner of her eye, but kept her attention on the small animal clawing at Gon's shirt. "Keeping that thing is a bad idea. It's a wild animal. It's too wild to tame."

Gon gave both of them an angry face and tightened his grip on the fox-bear cub. "I don't care! Wild or not, whether you like him or not, sis, I don't care. I'm going to take care of him!"

Genesis sighed and looked over at the man. "Once he sets his mind to something, old man, there's no changing it," she said, flipping her ponytail up so that it was tucked underneath her hat. "But Aunt Mito won't let us take him in her house, Gon, so . . ." she trailed off and caught the man's eye again. "Hey, old man. Wanna do us a little favor?"

He crossed his arms and raised his brow which was greeted by a smirk by the girl. "While we figure out how we're gonna take care of him, why don't you stay and keep an eye on things for the night?"

The mischievous glint in her eyes and the determined look on Gon's face gave the man a twisted look, as if he was in thought about something deep. There was something . . . familiar . . . about these kids.

* * *

"Gon. Gon," Genesis whispered from the hall as Gon was putting his plate in the sink.

He glanced back at her, and she made a motion with her hands for him to follow her. Quickly dropping his dishes and muttering a 'thank you' to Aunt Mito, Gon ran over to his sister and followed her to their shared room. In the room, Genesis jumped up and plopped down on Gon's bed, crossing her legs and patting the spot on the bed across from her. Gon too crawled up on the bed and sat mirroring his twin.

They were indeed twins. Not just by their positions, but in their looks as well. Without her hat, Genesis' black hair would have been visible, and their eyes were the same shade of brown. Even their facial features were similar. Even for fraternal twins, the young age of eleven had yet to give them many features to distinguish themselves from each other.

"Gen. Aunt Mito wasn't very happy about you skipping dinner," Gon said after a moment of silence. "She's gonna notice your arm sooner or later."

Genesis shook her head. "Nu-uh, she won't! I know where she keeps the bandages and wraps! I'll have it all cleaned up before she can notice!"

"But won't she see the wrap?" Gon asked, looking worried.

"I'll put it on both arms, tell her it makes me look tough!" At Genesis' reply, Gon started laughing, so hard in fact that he had to clench his stomach.

After his laughter had subsided, Gon said, "That's something you'd say alright. Aunt Mito won't expect anything!"

Genesis giggled at that and gave Gon a light knock on the head, causing both of them to let out another round of laughter. They were soon interrupted by their bedroom door opening. Genesis quickly pulled her arms behind her back and smiled as Aunt Mito walked in.

"It's time for bed, you two," she said, eyeing them cautiously. "And what have I told you about putting your feet on the mattress?"

The twins giggled to each other before saying, "Sorry Aunt Mito," in unison. The red haired woman just smiled and shook her head at them before giving a stern look and leaving the room. Genesis jumped off of her brother's bed and winced as her arm knocked against the wooden post.

Once Genesis and Gon were both tucked properly into their own beds, Genesis turned her head to the right to peer over at Gon. "Goodnight, Gon," she said. After he didn't acknowledge her, she sat up and threw her pillow at him. "I said Goodnight, doofus!"

Gon blinked away his thoughts and looked over at his sister. "Sorry," he said, tossing the pillow back to her that she caught with ease. "And . . . I'm sorry about your arm."

"Hu?" she asked, lifting her arm to look at it. "That wasn't your fault. It was the old man."

Gon shook his head. "You were just protecting me," he replied. "And he was right; we shouldn't have been playing there."

She bit back the urge to hurl her pillow at him again and dug her fingers into the cushioned surface instead. "In case you forget, doofus, that fox-bear only came after us because I was trying to get something out of its den."

"I know," Gon said, "but still."

Genesis sighed and put her pillow back to the space below her head and ran her fingers through her now loose hair. "Goodnight, Gon," she repeated, pulling the covers up and closing her eyes, her voice showing her irritation.

"Goodnight, Gen."

* * *

"You almost got me in some real trouble, old man," Genesis said, rubbing the bandages around her right arm.

The man in question was lying down against a tree with his hat hanging low over his head, seemingly not paying attention at all. Genesis was sitting by the bowl of food that her brother had left out for the fox-bear cub, which showed no intention of coming out. Gon, on the other hand was down in a hole that he had spent the last thirty minutes digging, and was still digging at. Or, he was the last time she had checked. When she turned her attention back to her brother, she saw that he was no longer in the hole, but was pushing against the dead fox-bear.

"Ah! Gon!" she shouted, standing up and running to his side. "There's no way you're gonna push that big thing in on your own. Move over!" Making some room beside her brother, Genesis put her hands on the dead creature and began pushing along with him. Needless to say, they weren't making much progress.

"You kids are really troublesome," the man said, getting beside them and pushing as well.

"Yet you're still here," Genesis replied, snorting. "Makes you a troublesome man."

Once they got the fox-bear buried, the man introduced himself as Kite, a Hunter on a mission to find his teacher. After explaining the concept of a Hunter to the children he took them to an ancient looking building to collect some flowers and then took them fishing. Then, Gon and Genesis formally introduced themselves (with Genesis still referring to Kite as 'old man')

As the sun was setting, the group made their way back to the area of the fox-bear's grave. Kite sat on a fallen tree while Gon and Genesis arranged the flowers appropriately on the grave.

"You kids said that both of your parents passed away," Kite said. "What do you know about your father?"

Genesis looked down and let her hands drop from the flowers. She had been sitting on her knees and quickly fell to her bottom. Gon took one look at her face and spoke up in her place.

"Aunt Mito won't tell us much. No matter how much we ask," Gon said, now standing near a plate with two fish, trying to get the cub to eat.

"Some of us don't want to know," Genesis mumbled, pulling her legs up to her knees. It was so quiet that not even Gon could hear it, but that was intentional. She knew he had exceptional hearing like her and knew just how quiet she had to be to not be heard.

"Do you know his name?" Kite asked.

Gon nodded. "Ging. Ging Freecss."

"Ging Freecss?" Kite repeated, to which Gon nodded. "Gon. Genesis. Your father, Ging, is my teacher."

Genesis spun around in an instant, narrowing her eyes at Kite. "If you're a Hunter, and our father is your teacher, that would make our father a Hunter," she said. "And it would also mean you've been looking for him for eleven years. Because he died when we were born, remember?" Her face was contorted in anger and her voice was laced with irritation.

"That's partially right," Kite said, "Ging is a Hunter. The greatest in the entire world, actually. But he is very much alive."

Gon's eyes lit up with wonder, probably shocked to find out that his father was actually alive. Genesis, on the other hand, couldn't believe her ears. More anger boiled up inside her and she stood, stamping her feet on the ground again.

"Who cares?" she shouted, keeping her head down and hiding her eyes. "Why'd you have to tell us? We were doing just fine thinking that he was dead." She bent down and picked up her hat, putting it on her head, ignoring her ponytail this time around. "Now you tell us that he's alive. That he's off doing stupid Hunter stuff while he left us here alone?" She didn't speak another word and just ran off, wiping at the tears coming into her eyes.

* * *

Genesis skipped dinner again that night. Aunt Mito didn't like the idea, so once Gon finished his dinner, he took a plate up to his sister, who was sitting curled up on her bed. Her knees were to her chest and her head was in her knees. She'd been like that ever since she'd gotten home.

"C'mon, Gen. You need to eat," Gon said, placing the food in front of her.

She shook her head.

"Gen," he said quietly, tugging on the end of her shirt.

She brushed him off.

"Genesis!" he said, this time louder, climbing onto her bed and sitting across from her, careful not to dump her food. "What's wrong, sis?"

This time, she glanced up, looking at him with muddy brown eyes. He never called her Genesis unless it was serious. She wiped uselessly at the tears around her eyes that continued to fall.

"Don't you get it, Gon? Our father is alive. And he left us," she said. "He abandoned us, Gon."

The two got silent and Genesis decided to nibble on her food. She didn't get far and ended up putting the plate on her dresser. Before she could tell Gon to leave, he squished himself between her and the wall and put his arms around her.

"I've thought about that too," he said. "It makes me sad, but I also don't understand. Being a Hunter has to be pretty important to our father to make his children come second." Gon reached into his pocket and pulled out two red cards with exes on the backs. "These are Hunter Exam Applications. Kite gave them to me. Once we turn twelve, we can take the Hunter Exam."

"Why would we want to do that?" Genesis asked, rubbing her eyes.

"To find our father. To find out why being a Hunter is so important."

Genesis didn't answer him after that. She just grabbed the card he held out for her and sat there in silence, allowing her brother's arms to keep her safe this time, to keep her from falling apart.

* * *

After the twins turned twelve, Gon convinced Genesis that it was time to discuss with Aunt Mito about the Hunter Exam. So as the four of them (Genesis, Gon, Aunt Mito, and their Great-Grandmother) sat at the empty table in the morning, Gon slammed down his Hunter Exam Application card, though Genesis gently slid hers forward on the table.

"Aunt Mito, we want to take the Hunter Exam," Gon said intensely.

"Both of you?" she asked quizzically, receiving a nod from Genesis. "Why?"

"Because we know everything!" Gon replied. "We know our father is alive and that he's a-"

"Hunter," Genesis finished. "We know that he's a hunter, off doing who-knows-what while we sit here in this damn house thinking he's dead."

The other three at the table stared at her, none of them having an appropriate reply.

"Aunt Mito," Gon said quietly after a minute. "We want to become Hunters so that we can find him. You've got to understand, Aunt Mito."

But after his words, Aunt Mito stood and took a few steps away from them, giving off a sad yet worried aura. As Genesis stood there, clutching her hands into fists, she couldn't help but feel her anger bubbling up. She didn't want to become a Hunter. She didn't want to find her father. She wanted nothing to do with him. Thinking about him used to make her sad. But in the last year, after finding out about his betrayal, any lingering feelings she had for him disappeared. They all dissipated into anger.

"Now Mito, calm down. I've seen this coming for a while now. I've seen it in Gon's face, in his actions, in his soul. And if you had looked your niece in the eye one time, really looked her in the eye, you would have seen the same thing," came their Great-Grandmother's reply. "They are Hunters at heart."

"I don't care!" Mito said. "I won't let the two of you be Hunters!"

"We're telling you this out of consideration, Aunt Mito!" Genesis shouted, slamming her hand down on the table. "You know just as well as I do that once Gon sets his mind to something, there's no changing it."

Mito turned slightly back towards them, putting her hands on her hips. "But you're older Genesis; you should be the one telling him how crazy this is. I know you don't want to do this."

Genesis crossed her arms. "You're right. I don't really want to do this," she replied. "But if Gon's not backing down, neither am I. If Gon's doing this, I'm doing it too." She linked her arm around Gon's, giving her aunt a deadly glare. "I won't leave his side. No matter how foolish or _stupid," _she sent a glance to Gon, "his plan is."

The two seemed to have a showdown, brown eyes staring into green, both pushing for what they believed was the right thing to do. Finally, Mito sighed and put a hand to her forehead.

"Fine," she said, "but on one condition." She held up her index finger. "The two of you must capture the master of the swamp . . . within a week from today."

* * *

"Oh, Aunt Mito makes me so mad!" Genesis whined, kicking her feet against the rock that she and Gon were sitting on.

Gon gave his sister a sideways glance before pulling his fishing rod back in. "Stay right here," he said, jumping down from the rock.

"Hey!" she called, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to stand by the bank," Gon said, holding his rod against his shoulder. "You stay here in case it tries to jump away!"

"And what do I do if it does?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

Gon shrugged. "Shoot it?"

On instinct, Genesis reached behind her and unhooked the slingshot from her skirt, usually keeping it trapped between her skirt and her white yoga pants. "With what?"

Gon pointed to the rock she was sitting on. "Break off a piece of that. You should know where to hit an animal to knock it out!"

Break off a piece of the rock? Was he mistaking her for himself? Sure, she had her strengths but breaking something ten times her own size? It _was _true, however, that she knew most animals weak spots. Especially this one. Her distaste for animals had lead her to do research of this kind in an attempt to make sure she would be safe if ever running into them. And she had made sure to do her research on this creature. But that didn't make things any easier.

Thankfully (for Genesis) Gon's one time of actually encountering the creature had led to his rod breaking and him scratching up his shirt. She told him at that point that they should head home and get changed and go back out again tomorrow. But Gon wasn't having any of it and continued on until late into the night.

Once Genesis began to get sleepy, she made herself comfortable against a tree, the very one that the fox-bear cub had been staying in before he got too big. As she lay against the tree with Gon's jacket draped around her shoulders, she tried to remember what he had named the little guy, but her mind wasn't giving it up. So, as she watched Gon try time and time again to find a new way to catch the creature, Genesis found herself nodding off, soon finding herself too far gone to keep her eyes open.

* * *

When Genesis woke up (much later into the day) she saw that Gon was once again perched on the rock wearing the oddest outfit she had ever seen. He looked like he was trying to blend into the moss. Quietly after rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Genesis climbed back up the rock, settling on sitting crossed legged behind her brother.

"What're you doing Gon?" she asked sleepily. "I thought your rod broke."

"It did," Gon replied, his voice slightly strained. "Aunt Mito gave me dad's old rod."

Even though the mention of their father usually sent Genesis off the deep end, she simply frowned and sighed, leaning forward so her head rested against her brother's back. They sat there in the silence for quite a few minutes, and Genesis figured she would have fallen back asleep at that point had her brother's breathing not taken up her mind. It wasn't calm like she was used to it being. Gon always had a calm breathing pattern. She knew because every time she had a nightmare, every time she was too afraid to sleep, Gon would climb into her bed, wrap his arms around her, and she would listen to the calmness of his breathing until she fell asleep. It wasn't like that now, and it bothered her.

When it changed drastically, she shot up into a proper sitting position. The end of Gon's rod pulled into the water, and Gon pulled back roughly on it. Genesis saw Gon rise to his feet as he was carried forward and quickly reached out to grip her hands around his waist, keeping him from falling off the large rock.

She wasn't sure what happened, but Gon pushed her back after a minute, shouting something along the lines of "I have an idea". Nearly losing her balance on the rock, she allowed her feet to slide her down so that she was on the solid ground again. When she looked up, she saw that Gon had the string from the rod wrapped around a branch from the tree above them and had the fish they were hunting hanging from it. All she could do was stare incredulously. Her brother sure was amazing sometimes.

* * *

Even though Genesis' face showed absolute boredom, she was secretly enjoying the surprised expression on her aunt's face when she and Gon showed up carrying the master of the swamp on their backs. Gon looked excited as usual, going straight into asking for permission to take the exam again. When Aunt Mito picked up their cards, Genesis half expected her to rip them in half, but she returned them to the two intact. Gon showed nothing but gratitude and a smile to their aunt as she stepped back into her house, but Genesis saw the saddened look on her face.

"Stupid," she mumbled to Gon, pulling her hand back and slamming it down on his head.

* * *

On the day that Gon and Genesis were preparing to set off for the exam, Aunt Mito told them something surprising. She said that Ging didn't leave them. He was forced to hand over custody of the twins to Mito, because she didn't think he could take care of them the way he was. Gon seemed to already know this, but it was news to Genesis and only made her angrier.

While Gon and Aunt Mito hugged goodbye, Genesis stood fuming. "So what?" she asked, pulling her hat down to cover her eyes. "He didn't abandon us? Just because you had custody, that means he couldn't see us anymore? That's a load of crap! He still could have stuck around. Have been in our lives!"

"You don't understand, honey. I told him to stay away," Aunt Mito said, but Genesis covered her ears with her hands.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Genesis shouted. After that, she jumped into the makeshift boat her and Gon were going to use. "Can we go, Gon?"

Gon sent a look to Aunt Mito and gave her another quick hug before jumping in after his sister. "Yeah," he said, settling into the chair he had placed in the middle of the boat. "Goodbye, Aunt Mito."

"Goodbye, Gon. . . Goodbye Genesis."

Genesis tilted her hat up a little to look her aunt in the eyes and gave her a tight lipped smile before lying down on her back in the boat, pulling her hat back down to cover her eyes.

As they started moving, Genesis noticed Gon stand up and wave. Curiously, she sat up on her elbows only to see a flock of animals gathered near the river. She scowled and pulled out her slingshot and tossed a paper wad from it at the animals.

"Get a move on!" she shouted to them before lying down again.

Gon just laughed and sat back in his chair. "You know you love the animals just as much as I do, Genesis."

She smirked but kept her head down, closing her eyes and listening to the forest around her. "Whatever you say, doofus."

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Tada! It's finished! Well, the first chapter that is. Only took...9 pages? Yeah, 9 pages. Is that too long? Hm...It's just a recount of the first episode from Genesis' POV. The chapters will be kind of like that, but don't worry. There will be...some things that are different! I bet you can't wait to see her meet Leorio, right? If he thought Gon was annoying BOY is he gonna have issues with Genesis! I bet you guys saw this coming already, right? Right! Yes, yes I KNOW I need to work on Red and I AM. Give me like, 3 days (I hope that's all it'll take) I'm back in school and its tense right now. I'm focusing on making sure that I'm all planned and know what's going on. THIS came about randomly with an idea. I was just writing it to see how it worked...and I would like to share it with you. _

_Review? Do you like it? What do you think of Genesis? Do you like stories that deal with sibling relationships? Do you think you want to continue reading? Criticisms? ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY! I'd like a review with more than one sentence. If you like, tell me why (or just a part that you specifically liked) or why you DIDN'T. You don't have to, of course, I can't force you. I still want your review. but maybe answer one of my questions here? Please? So...um...see ya in Red or the next chapter of Hall of Fame._


	2. Part 1: Running X Promise X Alone

**Author's Note: **_Well...um...welcome to...chapter 2? Question mark? Naw, this is chapter two. I kind of had fun with this chapter. I like that you kind of see a different side to Genesis. Her being all nervous and shy. Also, as I'm sure you've noticed, she acts a lot like a big sister to Gon (technically she is the older twin) but in a few chapters you'll just how much like Gon she is! Oh and everyone...HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (aint quite halloween yet...but still) I hope to have a little Halloween special one-shot posted some time tomorrow night! (Tomorrow being Halloween!) Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 2_

_Running X Promise X Alone_

* * *

"Gon, wait up!" Genesis called, chasing after her excited-as-ever brother. "I said, WAIT UP!" She sprinted forward and jumped, managing to grab a hold of her brother on the way down.

The people around sent the two weird glances, but continued along their ways. Genesis sent glares at them as she sat up, crossing her arms. "I told you to wait, doofus," she said, looking down at a struggling Gon.

She had succeeded in knocking him down as planned. So now he was lying on his stomach in the middle of the street with the twelve year old girl he called a sister sitting on top of him. He tried pushing himself up, but Genesis put her hands on his shoulders, keeping him down.

"I'm not letting you up until you apologize," she said, sticking her tongue out at him as he turned his head to look at her.

"I'm sorry, Gen," he said, giving her his best, most innocent smile. "Can I get up now?"

She let her hands up but crossed her arms again, turning her head away from him. "Not until you _promise_ to wait up for me."

"I promise, I promise!" Gon cried, clasping his hands together and showing her his pouty face.

Genesis scrunched up her nose and sighed but moved to get off of her brother anyway. After standing, she rolled up the long sleeves of her orange shirt to her elbows and brushed the dust off her light blue, open vest. Looking down, she noticed that the dust from the dirt has smeared on her yoga pants, which didn't mix well because they were white. She growled but rubbed them and her orange skirt anyway, only making the mess on her pants worse.

She averted her attention to her brother once he was standing again. "Why were you running anyway?" she asked.

"I saw a commotion over there," Gon said, pointing to behind Genesis, "and I heard people talking about a Hunter. I figured we could go check it out."

Genesis thought for a minute and nodded her head. "Okay, Gon. Let's go," she said, and they started walking again.

Their destination was a big stage set up in the middle of the street. A crowd had focused in around it, seeming to be listening intently to the man talking on the stage. Pulling her hat up a little, Genesis tried to look beyond the mountain of people in front of her to see what was going on, but she couldn't get a good glimpse no matter how hard she tried. So with a sigh, she closed her eyes and just listened.

There was a lot of chattering amongst the group but nothing she was interested in. So she pushed back the voices, waiting as they began to fade and sound distant. Then, she picked out the voice that boomed among the others and focused on it, amplifying it.

"Step right up! All you've got to do is defeat this Hunter in a fight and you'll win the prize," even with her eyes closed, Genesis' brow raised as the man's words peaked her interest. "You'll also get a chance to see the rare animal exhibit before it opens at the docs later today."

At that, Genesis opened and narrowed her eyes. That wasn't a prize she had any interest in whatsoever. Gon, on the other hand, seemed to really like the idea. Either that or he was just that excited to see a Hunter.

"Why don't we try, Gen?" Gon asked, whispering it into her ear.

She shook her head rapidly and made an 'x' with her hands. "No way. That guy is an actual Hunter. Do you want to get your butt kicked?"

She knew they were both very strong in their own rights, but even she wasn't stupid enough to assume they could beat anyone they came across. Though, she would admit that sometimes she did think a little too much of her own abilities.

Several people went up and tried to defeat the Hunter, none of which were successful. She only knew this because of the announcer; there were still too many people, too many _tall_ people in front of her for her to be able to see. At some point, Genesis began to get very impatient, standing with her arms crossed, her eyes closed, and her foot tapping on the ground. They had no need to be there anymore, and she just really wanted to leave.

After one final person tried and failed, Genesis turned to her brother with a look of irritation. "Can we get going now, Gon?" she asked.

Gon nodded but looked towards the man who was now on the ground. He had apparently been the one who had just got beaten by the Hunter. "Hang on," Gon said and ran over to a stand a few feet away.

"Wait, what are you-" she was cut off when she saw Gon running back, but this time towards the fallen man. With a shake of her head, Genesis walked in the same direction, stopping beside her brother as he held out an apple to the guy on the ground.

Grumbling, the man took it and stood up, possibly muttering a thanks as he started walking, but Genesis actually doubted it. She didn't know the man, but by his demeanor and the scowl on his face, she assumed he wasn't one for manners.

Gon made the decision to follow him, and Genesis being the good sister she was, tagged along behind them knowing Gon was brewing up something in that crazy head of his.

"Mister. Hey, mister," Gon called, shocking the other two out of the silence. "Do you know where I could find the ship to Dolle Island? You know about it, don't you mister?"

Even from behind, Genesis could tell Gon was already getting on the man's nerves. She reached a hand forward and put it on Gon's shoulder. "Maybe we should leave him alone. Mister here looks just as lost as we do."

The man in front of them twitched and pushed his glasses up on his nose. Genesis looked up at him. "Don't. Call. Me. Mister," he said around the apple in his teeth.

At that, Genesis stopped walking and cracked up laughing. This in turn caused Gon to stop as well, followed by the man, who turned to her with an irritated expression.

"You got a problem, little girl?" he asked, a vein in his forehead pulsing.

She nodded and gave her cheeks a light pat to calm herself down. "Yeah, mister. I do," she said, seeming to get another rise out of him. "You tell us not to call you mister, but we don't know your name, so what are we supposed to call you?"

"Nothing. You should call me nothing! Stop following me and get moving!" the man replied, making a shooing motion with his hands.

"But we just need to know about the ship that will take us to Dolle!" Gon whined, which earned him a smack on the head from his sister.

"Don't whine," she said, whacking him in the back of the head.

The man just growled and sighed before turning around and going back on his way. Genesis shook her head and went to reach for Gon, to tell him to get moving, but he already started walking again, still following the man. She groaned and leaned her head back.

"Gon," she whined, nearly smacking herself for doing the very thing she told Gon not to do.

* * *

Genesis was pretty sure they had followed the man through every corner and alley that was in the city, but Gon was still persistent on keeping up with him. She was fairly certain it would have been much easier to just ask somebody else, but even when she brought up the point to Gon, he gave her a very simple minded reply.

"Why go find someone else when we have someone right here who could tell us?"

After walking out of yet another alley, Genesis noticed the man sprint forward, trying to get away from them obviously. This only made a grin break out on her brother's face as he followed by example and started running also.

"Oh you've gotta be _kidding_ me!" she shouted, smacking her hand against her forehead. "Gon, wait for me!"

At some point the man slowed down, complaining about something or another. Genesis and Gon both stopped along with him when someone began shouting about a thief. She noticed a strange look that came over the man's face, and he walked over to the empty fish stand and grabbed a box.

"Good luck kids!" he shouted to them as he started jogging away, though the statement sounded rather sarcastic to her.

She knew that Gon would want to start chasing after the man again, so she leaned forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Gon, come on. He's not going to help us."

But Gon swatted away her hand, facing her with a determined look, yet with such a happy smile on his face. "I'm following him, Gen," he said.

She shook her head. "But he isn't even in our sights anymore. C'mon. Let's grab some food or something," Genesis said, turning to look at the stands of food and the restaurant that was behind her. "Hey, what about-" she stopped when she turned to find Gon running off. "Gon!"

"You eat sis, I'm gonna go find mister! I'll meet you back here when I finish!" Gon called to her before turning and finishing his run.

Genesis reached her hand out to him, but he was already disappearing from her view. With a sigh, she dropped her hand and clenched it at her side. "Gon Freecss, you are the _worst _brother _ever_!" she shouted, ignoring all the looks she was getting from the people passing by.

She huffed and faced the restaurant again only to find even more people staring at her. She groaned and threw her hands up. "What? What are you people looking at?" she asked before sighing and waving her hand dismissively. "Nevermind. Fine. Stare at me for causing some kind of commotion. See if I care."

After saying that she looked around again at the tables of food, but then she realized something. "Crap," she mumbled, "Gon has all of our money." That made her question why she had given him the money anyway. _Right, _she thought. _It wasn't me who gave him the money. It was Aunt Mito._

Sighing in defeat, Genesis walked over to the edge of the restaurant, which connected with another alley, and sat down right beside it. She crossed her legs and her arms and pulled her hat down to cover her eyes. Since she couldn't actually eat anything, it was in her best interest to wait for Gon to return, which she was certain he would. Gon doesn't break promises. Especially not ones to her.

Just before dozing off, Genesis felt a tap on her shoulder. She tilted her head to the right so that she could see to her left where all she saw was a pair of flats. Of course, she knew there was a person attached to them so she pushed her hat up and cast her eyes upward. Beside her was someone, gender yet to be determined, with medium blond hair and blue eyes. They were slightly bent over (most likely due to the tapping of her shoulder).

"Are you alright?" they asked.

Genesis nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied. "What time is it?"

"A little after five thirty I think," the person replied, looking back towards the shop.

Genesis sighed. It had been around five when Gon initially left. Thirty minutes. She'd been waiting for him for thirty minutes.

"You look troubled."

She looked down again, fiddling with her hands. "I'm waiting for my brother," she said softly.

There was a moment of silence before the other person spoke again. "I heard you and the other kid say something about food, but you've been sitting here ever since. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm alright!" she snapped. "I don't have the money. That kid is my brother and he has it."

"Would you like to share with me?" they asked, to which she gave them a raised eyebrow. "I don't like to be a waste, and it would seem my eyes are bigger than my stomach."

Genesis nodded and stood up. "You don't even know me," she said, "and you're offering me your food." The thought caused her to giggle and she held out her hand. "I'm Genesis."

"Kurapika," they said, taking her hand.

Kurapika turned and began walking back towards the restaurant, but Genesis stayed in place, her face having a thoughtful expression. "Um," she called out, making the other stop and turn towards her. Her face turned red and she pulled her hat down. "I don't mean to be rude but, um . . . are you a . . . boy," she gulped, "or a . . . _girl_?"

The fact that she couldn't tell was bothersome enough. It was even more awkward for her to have to ask such a question, mainly because it dealt with a fact that she knew quite well. She was often mistaken for a boy, what with her hair always being covered by her hat and all. That had been why she had decided to wear a skirt. Of course, she couldn't wear long ones; they bothered her too much, so she had to settle on one that only went about halfway to her knees. She also wasn't comfortable with just that alone since it stopped her from doing many of the things she enjoyed, like climbing trees and sitting cross legged. So she decided to wear her yoga pants under them, but even they were rolled up to her knees.

Looking up from her thoughts, she saw the shocked expression on the boy's face. _I knew that was too awkward of a question for someone I just met!_

"I'm a boy," he replied, his voice showing just how completely shocked he was.

"Sorry," she mumbled and walked past him towards the restaurant.

* * *

"What exactly are you and your brother doing here?" Kurapika asked as Genesis finished off an untouched salad that she was sure he hadn't intended to eat from the beginning.

After swallowing the last bite she took, Genesis responded, "We're looking for the boat to take us to Dolle Island."

"Dolle Island?" he asked. "Why do you need to go there?"

She rolled her eyes and raised her brow at him. "For the Hunter Exam. What else?"

"If that's where you're headed, the Kaijinmaru is the boat you want to take. It lives at six," Kurapika replied. "I'm taking the exam as well."

At his words, Genesis nearly choked on her food. "Six?! That's in like . . . fifteen minutes!"

Her eyes looked wild as she pushed the food away from her and stood up. Kurapika, on the other hand, looked just as calm as he had been before.

"You're right," he said. "We should probably get going." Kurapika stood and paid for their meal, quickly leaving the table and onto the street.

Genesis began to follow, but stopped and looked back at the spot she had been when Gon left. She had promised to wait for him. And she never broke a promise to her brother. Then again, he never broke a promise to her either. And he'd been gone for nearly an hour.

"Are you coming?" Kurapika asked.

Genesis bit down on her lip and switched her eyes between Kurapika and her waiting spot. Gon had to know where the boat was. He had to know when it left. He just had to know about it. He wouldn't have been gone for nearly an hour if he hadn't gotten the information.

So with a nod, Genesis ran to catch up with Kurapika.

"Hey," she said, pulling her hat down as they walked, "Why did you really come talk to me?"

"You just looked really . . ." he trailed off and they walked in silence for a few minutes. " . . .alone." He was quiet with that word, and Genesis had a feeling he did so on purpose, and that she wasn't actually supposed to hear him.

Neither of them spoke as they made their way to the boat. When they got there, Genesis told Kurapika to go on in and that she would be on in a few minutes. At this point, there was only five minutes left until the ship was to set sail and Genesis was too nervous to get on the boat.

She was nervous for several reasons. For starters, she was getting on a large boat . . . that was going to take them away from Whale Island. Secondly, she wasn't sure if Gon was on or not. She was afraid that if she got on and Gon wasn't there . . . she didn't want to leave him behind. She wouldn't _couldn't_ leave him behind.

Kurapika went on ahead, wishing her good luck in the exam. As he walked on the boat, Genesis muttered a few simple words under her breath. "It seems to me like _you're_ the one who's lonely."

* * *

When Genesis got on the boat, she had avoided sitting next to Kurapika. He'd done her a favor and somehow, she was pretty sure she had done him one as well. So they were even. They didn't have a need to hang out together anymore. So she sat in a corner of the boat, towards the nose, just leaning over and watching the water. Her eyes would drift over to the doc every few seconds only to find nothing similar to what she was looking for.

Worry started to build up in her as the minute warning was given. She pleaded for the captain to wait, telling him that her brother had to get on the boat. But the minute passed and the boat started going on its way.

"Hey, wait for us! I'm supposed to be on that boat!"

Genesis rushed over to the edge, looking out and seeing Gon running along the doc with the man from before. She smiled briefly before letting a scowl come across her face.

"You big, doofus! Where in the hell have you been?" she shouted, turning to the captain. "My brother's here! Stop the boat!"

"They're too late," the captain said, "I ain't turning back."

Genesis crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks which were turning red. "Gon Freecss!" she yelled over the waves. "I don't care if you have to jump from a cliff, you get on this boat right now!"

Then, she saw Gon stop and say something to the older man. And then . . . they started running in the opposite direction! Genesis could only stare flabbergasted at the retreating form of her brother.

_What is he thinking?!_

She saw Gon again when he appeared on top of a cliff that the boat was passing under.

_He is not . . ._

Gon pulled back on his rod.

_. . . doing_

The rod flew forward, wrapping around the edge of the cliff.

_what I think . . . _

And then Gon and the man were swinging towards the boat.

_. . . he's doing!_

Genesis watched as they landed against the sail, sliding down onto the deck. She ran across the boat just in time to hear the man mutter something like, "Don't call me mister." So it seemed Gon still didn't know the man's name. . . or he just didn't want to use it. She shook her head. No, that was something she'd do, not Gon.

"Gon!" Genesis called, running straight into him and wrapping her arms around him. "You big idiot! Why would you do something so dangerous?"

Gon made a little whine as he pried his sister's hands away from him, pushing her out. "Well, the boat was leaving," he said, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

She sighed and flicked him on the forehead. "Why didn't you come back for me?"

"I did!" he defended, wide eyed. "Honest, I did! But you were already gone!"

"Then why didn't you look for me? Why would you come to the boat without me?!" At this point, she wasn't sure if she was more concerned or angry.

"That . . . never occurred to me," Gon said. "I just assumed that since you were gone, that you headed to the boat."

She blinked back her surprise. Her brother was so innocent. So simple minded. So . . . _Gon._ She smiled, pulling her hat down, and smacked him on the back of his head.

"Hey now!" She looked up, hearing the voice of the man in the suit. "You got on this boat without him. Why didn't _you_ wait for _him_?"

"Because," she spat, "Gon's my brother, and I know him better than anyone. No way would he have missed this boat." Even though she said that, only moments ago she had been terrified that he would miss it. "Besides, it isn't any of your business, mister!"

"Stop calling me 'mister'!" he shouted, glaring at her. "Like I told your brother, my name is Leorio."

"Leorio," she repeated, holding down one of her fingers. "Leorio. Leorio. Leorio. Leorio." Each time she spoke, she put a new finger down. "I don't like it." Her hand was in a fist now and she waved it at him. "I think I'll stick with Mister."

Leorio balled his hand into a fist, the vein in his forehead beginning to twitch again. "You little brat!" he lunged towards her but she jumped back, laughing.

"It's not 'brat', Mister! It's Genesis!"

* * *

Once she had tired Leorio out, Genesis walked over to her brother, who was standing looking over the edge of the boat. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled, using her other arm to rest against the side of the boat.

"Are you ready for this, Gon?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah," he answered, "Are you?"

She stood without answering for a few minutes. Was she ready? To become a Hunter? To find her father? The answer was 'no' she wasn't. Somewhere in her mind, she knew she never would really be ready.

"I'm as ready as I can be." She looked over at Gon. "But there's something you've gotta know."

"What?"

_Whack!_

"If you ever, I mean _ever_ break a promise to me again, I will never ever _ever_ forgive you!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Well now...I don't have much to say. Reviews? They are always welcome! Did you think Kurapika was too OOC? Now before you go bashing about how he wouldn't walk up to a complete stranger and blah blah blah, hear out my reasoning! In my opinion, I DO think Kurapika is a bit of a lonely person. Yes a logical, methodical person. But also lonely. And I think, seeing someone upset, alone, and around the same age he was when he lost his clan might pull something in him. There was one little OOC bit that...I can't really make up for. And you can bash me for that (theoretically, please don't kill me for it!) Kurapika kind of, SORT OF lies. His original reasoning for allowing Genesis to eat with him is because he ordered too much food. That is a lie (for the most part) and he hates liars so...I pulled a no-no but...he tells the truth not too long later! I can't get rid of all OOCness! I did my very best. Bah. Please review! ...I'm too repetitive with my wording...have you realized that (rhetorical, please don't answer!) I'm going to fix that. Um...see you next chapter (or in Red maybe) Um..soo...REVIEW! ~Red-Chan_


	3. Part 1: Storms X Reasons X Protection

**Author's Note: **_Hey guys! In case you haven't noticed, Genesis and Gon kind of have a ying yang relationship. I think, in a way, they balance each other out. So far, you've seen how different they are. In this chapter . . . you'll probably see quite a bit more of that, but also, you're going to find something about them that is fairly similar. You'll find out exactly how similar they are in later chapters though. This one is a tad bit shorter than the others, but then again, I omitted a few little thing. Genesis doesn't have to witness everything, now does she? _

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 3_

_Storms X Reasons X Protection_

* * *

Everyone Gen had to entertain her were off doing their own things. Leorio was taking a nap on the deck. Kurapika was . . . well, she wasn't quite sure. But she wasn't going to bother him anymore anyway. Gon was at the back of the boat fishing. He sure did like his fishing. Why? She never really knew. It was probably something he picked up from their father. He probably enjoyed it even more now that he had their father's rod.

So Genesis was very much unentertained now . . . and dare she say . . . bored? The only times she ever really spent too much time on her own was when she slept, and with the day so bright in front of them, she didn't see that happening anytime soon. She now sat on a very dreary part of the boat with her feet in the air and her back on a hammock. It wasn't hers. In fact, she didn't even know if it belonged to another passenger. For all she knew, it was something the captain had set up as part of the boat.

Either way it didn't matter to her. This was where she was. It was no more animated than the rest of the boat, and if she was going to have to be bored out of her mind, she didn't want to do it in such a gloomy atmosphere because of all the dead weight's depressing demeanors.

She kicked her feet in a rhythmic pattern. Left leg up. Right leg down. Left leg down. Right leg up. And so on and so forth. Her hands were busy fidgeting with the slingshot she had pulled from the little pocket space she had created between her skirt and pants. The slingshot was basically a well carved stick with two ends at the top that created a 'U' shape. There were about five to six inches worth of some kind of stretchy material Aunt Mito had found connected to the two ends. In the center of the material was a soft plate about an inch and a half lengthwise and widthwise. She had made it herself a couple of months ago, with Aunt Mito's help to obtain the stretchy material.

She pulled back the sling, aiming it at the door where she heard footsteps walking past. There was no object for her to sling, but she aimed anyway, closing her left eye as she judged the space. Once she was sure that she was in the precise position to hit the doorknob, she pulled the plate back, taking in a deep breath before releasing it. She could almost see the path the projectile would have took, knocking against the center of the handle, making it shake. If there was one thing she was good at, her slingshot was it. When she aimed, she didn't miss.

It was then that she heard a commotion coming from the deck. Easily, she spun herself towards the door and jumped to her feet. Sticking her head out the door to make sure no one was walking her way, Genesis bounded up to the deck. Before her she saw a crowd gathered around. She pushed her way to the front to see two guys, whom she didn't know, fighting. Now, she didn't see many fights around Whale Island that didn't involve animals, so she was intrigued as to how it would turn out.

She didn't get to see much, though, because the captain called the fight to a halt just as the guy with the orange bandana around his head put his knife to the other guy's throat. She couldn't hold back her groan and kicked at the deck, upset that she wouldn't get to see just what these people were capable of. It wasn't very often that she got to see how everyone else interacted together. She and Gon rarely ever left their home. The house and the woods, that was about as far as they went on most occasions.

Once she finished fuming, Genesis noticed that the guy who nearly got his butt kicked was being thrown off the boat. She nearly busted out laughing at how clueless the guy was and that he had to be thrown off, but when the captain started speaking, even she knew it was in her best interest to keep her mouth shut.

Genesis was ready to head back to her little bunk when her brother's voice broke her ears. "I've got one!"

She turned to look at him just in time for him to pull the fish out of the water. As he was laughing and cheering at his victory, Genesis huffed and crossed her arms. "Show off," she muttered under her breath.

"Your brother is quite interesting," came a voice from behind her.

Genesis jumped and turned slightly to see Kurapika. His face showed no particular expression and, though he was talking to her, he was looking towards Gon.

"Yeah, he's something alright," she grumbled, watching Gon jump and hop around in excitement.

* * *

Genesis stood beside her brother, examining the fish he held in his hands, as he spoke with the captain. She didn't pay too much attention to the conversation, but her ears twitched at Leorio's complaining voice. She spun around and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Would you stop complaining?" she shouted, throwing her hands up.

Leorio looked ready to respond when Gon made a curious noise. She switched her attention to Gon, who was staring up at the sky, following the sea cranes. After a moment, he put his fish down and turned towards the water.

"There's a storm," he said. "It's coming our way."

"Very funny," Leorio said, earning him a glare from Genesis, "The ocean's totally calm."

"You should probably listen to him," Genesis said, putting her hands behind her back. "It may seem nuts, but my brother usually knows what he's talking about with these kinds of things."

"Yeah," Gon replied. "The sea cranes are calling out warnings."

Leorio laughed. "So, you're telling me the kid can understand the sea crane's squawking? Sure."

Gon nodded and smiled towards them, making Leorio go wide eyed and his jaw dropping. Genesis just shrugged her shoulders and walked back to beside her brother, where she had strayed away from as she spoke to Leorio.

Genesis made a gagging expression when Gon mentioned something about their father, giving a fake smile when he turned to look at her.

* * *

The two hours that Gon predicted had come and gone quickly. Most of the passengers had gathered around the cross-like pole, and Genesis noticed it begin to light up. She'd never seen anything like that before. It was completely new to her. She stepped forward curiously, holding her hand up towards it, but she wasn't tall enough to reach it.

As she climbed up on the edge of the boat, trying to get closer to the purple glow, she heard her brother ask, "What's Saint Elmo's Fire?" She tilted her head back a little, curious as to what the answer would be.

"It's a phenomenon in which tall objects like that mast are illuminated by a buildup of static electricity," came Kurapika's voice as he walked to the front of the crowd. "That means there's probably a thunder head, or electrified cloud situated directly above us."

While all eyes were on Kurapika as he explained the light, Genesis had wrapped her arms and legs around the pole, trying her best to climb high enough to touch the light. One arm released from around the pole to reach up, only a few inches off target. She growled and regained her firm grip, trying her best to make it up the next few inches. Once again, she reached her hand forward, and just as she was about to reach it, she heard the captain.

"-no sailor who's seen Saint Elmo's Fire has ever made it back to port alive."

"What?!" Genesis shouted, leaning back.

Just as she did, one of her legs lost its grip around the pole, and with one leg and one arm off, she began sliding down. However, sliding down a wooden object wasn't very ideal and was actually quite painful. So much in fact that Genesis quickly had to let go, finding herself falling overboard. She managed to grip the railing, but she was still dangling over the water, losing that grip the more the waves crashed and the boat rocked.

"Gon!" she called trying to get a grip with her other hand as well. "Help!"

The moment didn't drag on like she thought it would, waiting for her brother to pull her up. Instead, just as her hand lost its grip on the railing, something tightened around her wrist. She dropped a few inches and screamed, but latched on with her free hand to whatever was now holding her up. Her eyes opened and she saw her brother leaning over the railing, one hand on it and the other around her wrist. Leorio had his arms around her brother's stomach, keeping him anchored to the boat.

The two pulled her up and she fell with her back against the railing. She darted her eyes around like crazy, watching the faces of the people who stared at her. Gon's face was right next to her's and his mouth was moving, but she couldn't register his words. Leorio had knelt down, but he was still at least a head taller than her, and if he was speaking, she wouldn't have heard him either. Her eyes landed on Kurapika, who watched her with an expression that seemed to show a hint of worry, but she didn't linger on it long.

She pushed herself to her feet and started stumbling back towards her bunk. Gon grabbed a hold of her arm but she yanked it away, swatting at his head, but he ducked. "Leave me alone, doofus."

* * *

Once all of the passengers were down in the bunk, Genesis began to come back to her senses. With the ability to finally comprehend what was going on, she started to feel bad about the way she had treated Gon. He saved her life, and she had just brushed him off, pushed him away even. She shouldn't have done that. Protecting each other was their vow after all. Their promise above all other promises.

She would have gone and apologized to him, had she been able to maneuver around the bunk properly. People were floundering about like fish on land, leaving her with no room to walk without being slapped in the head with one of the bodies. The ship was only tilting from side to side, it wasn't anything a little balance couldn't get over.

So she just stood in place, switching her legs along with the boat. If the boat was leaning towards the right, then she'd stand on her left leg. If the boat was leaning towards the left, she would pull her left leg up and let her right handle it. She even hopped in place after a little while, beginning to get bored with the whole escapade.

Her brother was doing fine as well, rolling around on his little barrel. He seemed to be having more fun than anything else. Leorio just sat around eating apples. Gravity didn't seem to have much effect on him, as he didn't even slide a little. She noticed, though, that like her, he was leaning towards the opposite side that the boat was leaning. They had the same idea.

Genesis found herself looking around for Kurapika, wondering if he had found a way to stay upright in the turning boat. She was shocked to see him in the hammock she had previously inhabited . . . sleeping.

_Well, that's one way to do it,_ she thought, sweat dropping.

The boat took a long leap forward at that moment, and since she was mid-hop, her foot didn't connect with the ground when expected, making her slip and fall onto the hard floor. Thankfully, the boat had stopped rocking so hard, and people were now just lying unconscious on the ground. She stood up and rubbed her head, afraid a headache would begin to form.

Gon was now walking around to sick passengers, trying to help them get over whatever issues were ailing them. Genesis decided to help out as well, taking what she needed from Gon and walking around to the people. Though she was slightly annoyed when she walked by Leorio, who was simply looking at himself in the mirror.

"What are you looking at, Mister? Your unibrow?" she asked, rolling her eyes and handing a cup of water to a sick man beside her.

"Who are you calling 'mister'?!" Leorio snapped, rubbing his finger in between his eyebrows. " . . . I do not have a unibrow!"

Genesis had to laugh at him. She just had to.

* * *

"You want_ me_ to tell you what my name is?" Leorio asked, his voice much bigger than it needed to be.

"Yeah, I do," the captain said calmly.

Genesis looked up from the person she had been treating and rolled her eyes. "Don't be so secretive, Mister. You were all gung ho about us not calling you anything but your name. So why not go ahead and tell the guy?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

Gon nodded excitedly and turned to face the captain. "She's right!" he said. "My names Gon."

"I didn't mean you, doofus," Genesis replied, smacking the back of his head. "I'm Genesis." She stood up and raised her hand, pulling Gon to his feet as well.

"I'm Kurapika," said the blond haired boy.

Once again, Genesis jumped at his voice. Kurapika had this way of just creepy up on people. He seemed to make no noise until he spoke. But for some reason, she was the only one startled.

Leorio groaned and reluctantly told the captain his name.

"Now, was that so hard?" Genesis asked as if she were talking to a child, which resulted in Leorio lunging for her again.

She stepped back out of the way and wagged her finger at him. "Tsk. Tsk. That won't do, Leorio!"

The captain cleared his throat and the four of them brought their attention back to him. "Now that that's out of the way . . . I want all of you to tell me why you want to become Hunters."

Genesis froze in her spot. Why? Why did she want to be a Hunter? There was a problem with that question. She _didn't_ want to be a Hunter. Not really. How was she supposed to answer that? What if this was some sort of evaluation? What if her answer wasn't satisfactory and he kicked her and Gon off?

"Our dad was one!" Gon said, snapping Genesis out of her thoughts. "And we wanna see what it's like!"

Genesis stepped up and whacked him again, this time with malicious intent in mind. Gon cried out from the force of the smack actually causing him a little bit of pain.

"Don't clump me in with you, doofus," she said and looked up at the captain. "You'd think my reasoning would be the same as Gon's, since we're twins and came here together, but it isn't. I don't even want to be a Hunter, to be honest. But . . . I will do anything to protect Gon." She clenched her fist. "And if that means going through this damned exam to help this _idiot_ find our no good father . . . then I'll do it." She stopped again and pointed to Gon. "For him. I'll do it for him."

"Geez," Leorio said, yawning. "The old guy doesn't need to hear your life story. And I still have no intention of telling _you_," he pointed to the captain, "anything."

"I agree with you Rioleo," Kurapika said, and this time Genesis held in the jump her body wanted to make. "It would be easy enough to dodge the captain's question by making up a plausible lie. However, I consider lying to be a sin that is equal to greed and as dishonorable."

Genesis stopped paying attention at that point, reflecting on the boy's words. Lying as a sin? She'd never thought of it that way. It wasn't something she did all the time, but she lied almost any time she would kid around with Gon. Did that mean she had sinned? And what about it being dishonorable? She was only a child; there wasn't much honor for her to have. But for someone like Kurapika, who had to be a few years older than her, it might mean more.

"The Hunter Exam has already begun!"

Genesis looked up at the captain, her mouth open wide. "W-wait a minute. If this is part of the Hunter Exam . . . " she trailed off, holding up her index finger as she thought. "Then that means . . . I was right!" She pointed her finger at the old man. "You're testing us!"

He gave a hearty laugh. "You'd be right little girl," he said, pulling out something from his pocket.

"That's from the Hunter Association!" Leorio gasped, stepping back.

Genesis dead-panned. "No duh, Mister. I've only known about Hunters for a year and even _I_ can tell _that_."

"Yes, well, there aren't enough Examiners in the universe to judge all of the people who want to become Hunters. So it's my job to weed out the weaklings," the captain said. "The other passengers didn't make the cut. If they can't handle a storm like this . . . there's no way they could make it as Hunters."

"But wait," Genesis said, raising her hand. "What if they find another way there?"

"That won't work. I have to make a report to the Committee and if they try getting there by any other means . . . they'll be turned away in a heartbeat."

"Oh." Genesis dropped her hand, letting the man continue.

"So, whether the four of you get to take the exam or not . . . that's my decision. Would you like to answer that question I just asked you . . . or not?"

Leorio then began to mumble something; perhaps it was supposed to be loud enough for the group to hear, but it wasn't.

"I'm the only survivor of the Kuruta clan," Kurapika said.

Leorio freaked about being interrupted, but Genesis simply looked at the boy with another curious expression. He sure seemed to draw a lot of those out of her.

"I want to be a Blacklist Hunter, so I can capture fugitives with a bounty on their head and bring them to justice," he continued.

"Why?" Genesis asked, obviously interrupting the captain. "Sorry."

Kurapika shook his head. "No apology necessary," he said. "Four years ago, all my brethren were brutally massacred. That gang of thieves, the Phantom Troupe, was responsible. And I am determined to have my revenge."

"Phantom Troupe?" Genesis echoed under her breath, furrowing her brows.

"The Phantom Troupe has a Class A bounty on them. Even the most experienced Hunters are weary about going after them," the captain said. "It _could _cost you your life."

Genesis let out a questionable sound, making everyone look at her. She covered her hands over her mouth and shook her head, stepping back behind her brother, who, in light of the situation, laughed at her.

"I do not fear death," Kurapika said, his eyes dancing from the Captain to Genesis. "What I fear most is that one day my rage will eventually fade away."

At that, Genesis sank back to the point of the hammock that had apparently been switched between the two throughout the ride. She didn't need, nor did she want to hear anymore. She was too confused as is. Everything about Kurapika confused her.

* * *

She was so out of it that she didn't even crack a joke at Leorio for his plan to gain money. It was an easy shot. It would have been simple for her to get a rise out of him. But she was too far gone by that point. Heck, she was even asleep by then.

So when she woke up and ventured onto the deck, she was surprised by what she saw. Leorio was almost naked, save for his undergarments with Kurapika sitting beside him. Gon was standing and looking out at the water, his clothes obviously wet.

Genesis just stood there, staring at them, taking her hat off of her head when all she meant to do was pull it up. Her ponytail fell, curling to the right and hanging around the bottom of her neck.

"What in the heck happened to you three?" she asked.

Gon turned around and grinned at her. "Nothing much, Gen. Just got a little wet, that's all," he said, scratching his neck nervously.

"I . . . I . . " she stuttered, "I . . . have no words."

Suddenly, the laughter from the captain filled their ears, and Genesis tensed up. "All four of you have passed the first test."

* * *

A little later, before the ship hit the docks, Genesis walked up to the captain alone. "Hey captain," she called. He turned towards her. "I heard what happened. I see why you passed my brother and them, but . . ."

"You don't get why I passed you?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Sweetie, those boys showed me just how willing they are to put their troubles aside to help someone else. They showed determination." As he went on, Genesis began to feel less confident. "But you . . . you showed me something else."

"What?"

"Dedication. Devotion. Love," he said slowly. "You love your brother enough that you're willing to do something you're dead set against doing. That sure says something about your character."

Genesis thought on it all the little while as the boat made its way to Dolle Island. Of course she loved her brother. They were twins. Of course she was dedication and devoted to protecting him. That was their promise.

_You protect me, and I'll protect you. Until the day we die._

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Now, that wasn't too horrible, was it? I personally like it to be honest. Of course, I wrote it, so it's only logical that I would like it. Here's a little info that I'm sure I've already said. Yes, I am watching the episodes (1999 series ONLY) to determine what happens in the chapters. If I find something redundant, then I might mix some episodes together or leave one out completely. Some will be cut or end at parts that aren't equal with the episode. That's a suspense tactic. Anyway, I hope you guys like it! Please review! What did you like? What didn't you like? What do you think of Genesis? Just review, please! ~Red_


	4. Part 1: Lies X Riddles X Decisions

**Author's Note: **_So...um, fyi: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! So glad to have this done on this exact day. Kinda creepy, but awesome! You know, I haven't done a disclaimer yet. I'll be sure to do that. But first, a few things. First of all, I am attempting to draw Genesis...it isn't really working out well yet. Maybe I can get one of my friends (with better artistic skills) to do it. I can draw just fine...but only if I have a picture to look at so...yeah. If any of you guys want to...that'd be cool. I could give you a cookie...a virtual cookie...or a virtual piece of birthday cake! Yeah, cake! Or I can find some other way to thank you, I have some little ideas in my idea hat (I actually have an idea hat)_

Anyway **DISLAIMER**! Gon, will you say it for me?~

Gon: Of course! Red-san does not own Hunter X Hunter or any of us! Well . . . she owns Genesis! Which . . . is weird. She created Gen but not me . . . so . . . where did I come from?

_Um, Gon, Um . . . let's not get into that right now! And hey, he called me Red-SAN! Well . . . I AM older than him . . ._

_Like he said, I don't own any of this! I own Gen . . . and certain plot elements that will occur!_

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 4_

_Lies X Riddles X Decisions_

* * *

"Gon, I think the captain is off his rocker," Genesis said, pointing to the map. "Zanban City is here . . . and the Cedar tree is . . . there. Completely opposite directions."

The other three leaned forward, observing the map carefully. The captain had told Gon to head in the direction of the Cedar tree, but by the looks of it, that didn't really seem like the right way to go.

"For once, I agree with the brat," Leorio said. "If we go that way, it'll be a complete waste of time. We should just head straight for Zanban City."

Genesis stuck her tongue out at Leorio and crossed her arms. "The tall log and I are on the same page," she muttered. "Scary."

At that moment, Genesis came close to jumping out of her skin because of a sudden voice from behind her. "There's an express but to Zanban City if that's where you're headed."

She turned around with glaring eyes to face the red-headed speaker. "Were we speaking to you?" she asked, already deciding that she didn't like him. "Who the heck are you anyway?"

"I'm Matthew. This is my first year going for the Hunter Exam. Just like you guys," he replied, smiling at them.

Genesis crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think we're beginners?" she asked.

Matthew's face formed into a frown and Leorio put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't mind her, she's a basket full of cranky," Leorio said, earning him an attempted kick from the twelve year old. "I'm Leorio. So, are you gonna be taking that bus to Zanban City?"

"No," Matthew said, "I kind of get sick when I ride the bus."

Genesis snorted. "Bus sickness? Really?" This time it was Gon who got to whack Genesis. The top of his fishing rod came down gently on her head, but it was enough for her to shrink down and pull back. "Gah. Geez, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I know it's silly," Matthew said. "So I'm just going to hike over that mountain. You know, the one with the Cedar on top."

Holding her hands over her head, Genesis muttered, "Dumb minds think alike."

"We're going that way too," Gon replied, swinging his rod around innocently, though Genesis knew he had heard her and was going to try and hit her with it again. Her brother was the farthest thing from a mean person, but when she was unreasonably mean to people, he had his own way of letting her know.

"That's great! How about we go together?" Matthew said enthusiastically.

Gon and Matthew exchanged a few words that Genesis blocked out, not wanting to make another unconscious, cruel comment that would get her hit again. It was times like these that she knew how Gon felt all the time, what with her always smacking him and all. She realized she had zoned out too long when Gon, Matthew, and Kurapika started heading in one direction, leaving her and Leorio just standing there.

"Where are they going?" she asked Leorio, blinking in confusion.

"To the Cedar tree," he replied grumpily.

She stared off towards them with her mouth gaping and her eyes wide. "After we've already discussed about that being the _worst_ possible route to take?!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "No, forget it. I would follow him to the ends of the Earth, but this is just . . . is just . . . NO! I'm not . . . I'm not following him. I'm taking the bus!"

* * *

Genesis rubbed her temple at her current predicament. Leorio and her had managed to make it onto the bus before it left, but that left her with two problems. Problem one: she was trapped on a packed bus with no room to breathe. Problem two: she was trapped on a packed bus with no room to breathe _with Leorio_.

"Move over," she hissed to the suited man.

Said man sent a glare down to her through his glasses. "I'm against the wall, I can't move over. And if you get any closer, you'll be in my lap!"

That thought alone was disturbing enough for Genesis to move over an inch to the left, making her bump into some round bellied guy. She wasn't sure which was worse, being pressed up against a sweaty, fat man, or sitting in Leorio's lap.

"Leorio," she said after shuddering, "I want off this bus."

"What do you expect me to do about it?" he asked, a bewildered look on his face.

"I don't know, I'm just really uncomfortable!" she shouted, standing up and scooting over so she was in front of Leorio.

"Woah kid, too close for comfort," Leorio said, leaning back a little. "What's your problem today anyway?"

Genesis furrowed her brow and pulled back her pouting lip. "What are you talking about?"

"You're grumpier and _whinier_ than usual," Leorio replied, "Why?"

She sighed and let her shoulders slump, turning and sitting down on Leorio's left leg. "I don't know," she said, "I've had a bad feeling about today ever since we walked off the boat."

She looked up to Leorio only to see that he wasn't even looking at her. Reaching up, she pulled on his ear, making him yelp in pain and look down at her.

"What was that for?!" he asked, rubbing his ear.

"What's your problem, Mister? I was answering your question and you completely ignored me!"

"I wasn't ignoring you! I heard you!"

"Then what were you-" Genesis stopped and closed her mouth, pointing down with her index finger to where she was sitting. "You have a problem with . . ." Her face exploded into a huge grin and she cracked up with laughter. "Oh my gosh, Leorio! I'm a twelve year old girl; I'm not going to _do anything_ to you!"

Leorio's face was completely red as he covered it up with his hand. "Shut up!" he said, and then peered at her through his fingers. "And why would that even cross your mind?! Aren't you too young to know about these kinds of things?"

Genesis nearly coughed on her own laughter. "Too young, really? I'm not _Gon_, Leorio," she said. "Aunt Mito gave me 'the talk' when I was ten. It's much easier for a girl to tell a girl. Plus . . ." she trailed off. " . . . Gon wouldn't understand even if we tried explaining it to him _now._ He doesn't even have an interest in girls yet."

Leorio looked as if he would rebut her statement, but his face turned to understanding, and he gave her a nod of agreement.

_We're on the same page again . . . creepy!_

* * *

"Hey . . . Leorio?" Genesis said, tugging on his arm. She had dozed off for a few minutes, but she was already beginning to notice something alarming upon looking out the window. "Haven't we already passed by that building?"

Leorio moved slightly to look out at the same spot she was looking at and grumbled, "You're right. . . We're going in circles!"

That had gotten the entire bus worked up. People were shouting and shoving and trying their best to get off the bus. In all the commotion, Genesis had fallen from her position on Leorio's knee and landed on the ground, knocking her head against the back of the driver's seat. She tried to get up, but her arms kept giving out and forcing her back to the ground. Calling for Leorio wasn't helping either. Even being so close, the roar of the other passengers covered her voice. He probably wasn't even able to see her by this point because of all of the people that had pushed their way between them.

Genesis felt a headache forming on the left side of her head, so she tried rubbing her temples, but that only made it worse. When she pulled her hand back, she saw a dot of blood on her fingers. She must have banged her head on the metal portion of the seat. The thought worsened her headache and even began to make her nauseous. Before she could vomit, she closed her eyes and passed out.

* * *

The light flooding into Genesis' eyes was a very unwelcome way of her awakening. She covered her eyes with one hand and wiped the crust out of them with the other, squinting once she was finished as she reached to pull her hat down. That was when she came to a realization: she wasn't wearing her hat.

She bolted up frantically and, ignoring her surroundings, began searching for her hat. It was to no avail, because she quickly realized it hadn't just fallen off. Her hat was actually _gone._

"I see you're finally awake," came an old tired voice.

Genesis spun towards the voice and tensed. By the looks of it, the voice belonged to an old woman, gray hair, wrinkled skin and all. Behind her stood people, or Genesis hoped they were people, in big white masks, funky colored hair, and what looked to be long white sheets draped around them.

"Who are you?" Genesis asked, holding her hand against her head to steady herself. Her dizziness hadn't faded away yet.

"I am the examiner that will determine whether you pass on to the next test or not."

Genesis groaned at her reply. Another test? How many tests were they going to have to go through?

"Where's Leorio? And how did I get here?" she asked.

"You're friends have already passed this test. They were shown the way. But now _you_ must take it to join them."

"What do I have to do?" she asked cautiously yet defiantly.

"You must answer my riddle. You will have five seconds," the old lady said, putting pressure on her cain.

Genesis didn't like this one bit. Not only was she separated from her brother, but she might not be able to meet up with him again. Just like the other test, if she failed this one, then she wouldn't be able to get to the site of the Hunter Exam, and she wouldn't be able to be with Gon.

That thought made her mad.

"Give me the question," she said through clenched teeth with her fingernails cutting into her palms.

"You'll have five seconds after I ask you the question," the lady said, and Genesis just motioned with her hands for her to get a move on. "Your brother and your father are on a plane with you that is crashing to the ground. Aside from your own, there is only one parachute. Who do you give it it?"

The answer was on the tip of Genesis' tongue, and her mouth opened to blurt it out . . . but something stopped her. Something drifted across her ears, floating inside of her head. Words. But she couldn't make them out. Sounds. But they were all jumbled together and she couldn't tell one from the other.

Three seconds. Three seconds she stood there paralyzed by the words. By the whispers.

She was itching to shout the answer, because it was an obvious answer. And obvious answer to her. Between her father and her brother? Of course she would choose her brother. Her father had left her. Had left them. Had left Gon. She would save Gon first and foremost. Protecting him was her top priority.

But this question couldn't have been customized. This lady knew nothing about her. Nothing at all. Which meant that the right answer had already been decided. Which meant that her opinion didn't matter. There was no way to tell.

And then she thought about it. There was no way for a right answer to even be decided. The question itself is a personal question. The answer would change from person to person. Which meant that the lady was actually looking for a different answer. An answer that Genesis didn't have.

"So you figured it out?" the old lady asked, causing Genesis to look up at her.

The young girl shook her head from side to side. "No ma'am. I don't know what answer you're looking for," she said solemnly. "It has to be a trick question because . . . there is no right answer. If you were ever faced with that scenario, the outcome would be different depending on the person. And no matter which option you choose, neither is right and neither is wrong. But I assume that's the point. But . . . then I don't know what you want me to say. I don't have an answer for this. I guess I fail."

Her face fell, and she pulled back on the tears in her eyes. Gon had passed this test. He had figured it out. Heck, _Leorio_ had figured it out. And she couldn't. Not in five seconds. Maybe she wasn't fit to take the exam. Maybe she wasn't even fit enough to protect Gon.

"Well done, young lady."

Genesis shot her head up, a look of pure confusion on her face.

"The true answer to the question was silence, which you gave me after five seconds. The answer you provided after the test was over was also correct," the old lady said. "You were looking for a hidden gem inside of a hidden tunnel. The riddles weren't made to be that confusing, darling."

It was safe to say Genesis was genuinely confused. 'So . . . you're saying that the fact that there is no answer . . . is the answer?"

The old lady nodded, and Genesis pulled at her hair. "What kind of riddle is that?" she asked. "Getting me all stressed out about a _trick!_"

"Listen here, missy. The riddle may have no answer, but you may have to answer a question like this in real life. And when that time comes, you won't have the option of silence."

If she ever came face to face with that scenario, then she knew what she would choose.

_Gon comes first. He always comes first._

The masked people-creatures- then began pulling back a pair of black doors, revealing a blackened tunnel.

"This is the path that will take you on to the next test. It's a straight, two hour path to the next destination. You're friends started on it . . . oh maybe forty-five minutes ago," the old lady told her, pointing her cane towards the path.

"Wait . . . I have to catch up to them?" Genesis asked, pointing to herself. "Really?!"

* * *

After thirty minutes of walking along the tunnel, Genesis began to become annoyed. Her hat was still missing, and her feet were beginning to hurt. Uphill inclines weren't her forte, and her feet began to feel like putty in her orange boots.

"Go-o-on," she whined, slumping her shoulders as she walked.

"Yeah, Gen?" Genesis jumped back in shock, looking over to see Gon, illuminated only slightly by the upcoming light, standing beside her.

"When did you . . .?" She shook her head.

"We heard you coming, so I ran back," he replied.

Genesis glared and looked ahead, watching as the forms of Leorio and Kurapika came into view. Her face lit up and she ran over to them.

"Hey, you big log," she said poking Leorio. "You've got some explaining to do."

"About what?" he asked, slinging his briefcase over his shoulder.

"Oh, I dunno," Genesis said, "Maybe about how I woke up surrounded by rainbow trolls?"

"You passed out on the bus, that's all," Leorio replied. "I was going to continue carrying you through the tunnel, but the old hag insisted that you had to take the test on your own."

"I passed out?" she asked and then groaned. "Oh yeah, one of those idiots knocked me onto the floor. You really should have thought before you starting shouting about the bus being a fake."

"Wait! How is this my fault?" Leorio shouted but was silenced by a look from Kurapika. "Anyway, I ran into Gon, Kurapika, and Matthew on our way to the test."

"Matthew?" Genesis asked. "Right. The red-head. Where'd he go anyway?"

"He got attacked by something," Gon said, still smiling. "He answered the question wrong."

"He was also just using us to get to the test safely," Kurapika said calmly.

Genesis smacked her palm to her forehead, giving an exasperated sigh. "I knew that asshole was no good!"

_Whack!_

Gon's fishing rod came down on her head again, making her duck down towards the ground. "Sorry!" she shouted. "Gotcha. Cursing isn't allowed."

Gon nodded and crouched down to get on eye level with his sister. "What made you pass out anyway?"

She shrugged. "Not sure. I must have hit my head."

"That's an understatement!" Leorio said. "You had blood all over your hand when I found you."

Immediately, Genesis' hand flew to her head, suddenly remembering checking the exact spot before she passed out. Pulling her hand away, she saw no blood, which means that she must have only scratched it a little. But it had been enough at the time to smear blood onto her hands.

"So that's why," Gon said, his grin coming back to his face as he straightened himself. "Genesis doesn't handle blood well."

Following after her brother, Genesis stood up as well, crossing her arms and stomping her foot. "Gon Freecss, that is not true!" she shouted.

"It is so. You always faint when you see blood," he said, laughing. "Or you throw up."

Genesis groaned and reached to pull her hat down, but then remembered that she still didn't have her hat. In a panic, she looked up and ran towards Leorio, pulling on his sleeve.

"Please, _please_ tell me that you have my hat," Genesis pleaded, biting down on the insides of her cheeks.

Leorio pulled his briefcase forward and pushed the younger girl away. He leaned down and set his briefcase on the ground, opening it (but still keeping it out of the other's line of sight) and pulled something out before closing it once again and standing with it slung over his shoulder. With a quick toss of his hand, Genesis' hat landed squarely in her hands, leading to a loud squeal from the child.

"Thank you so much, Mister!" she shouted, giving him a quick hug before pulling back and putting the hat back on her head, neglecting folding up her ponytail.

It took a moment for her to realize that she was getting odd looks from the other three. She pulled her hat down as her face reddened, and she pushed her way between Leorio and Kurapika to continue walking. She knew why they were all looking at her that way. Because she had hugged Leorio. It wasn't that big of a deal. She was happy. She didn't care if it was a murderer handing her the hat. She still would have hugged them. It had nothing to do with the person. It had to do with the act.

So when the others started following, and Leorio asked why she hugged him, she blew up.

"Because you might not really be that bad!" she shouted, throwing her hands up.

* * *

After a couple more hours of walking (which Leorio made very clear was _more_ than the two hours the old woman had promised) the group finally made it to the end of the tunnel. Gon and Leorio were cheering and talking throughout most of the next portion of their walk. They had made it out of the tunnel, but they also had to row a boat across a pool of water. That didn't end any better than the bus ride because they were attacked by some kind of magical beast.

The walk to the cabin where Genesis had been informed the 'guides' were supposed to be wasn't any more fun. She still had a headache from being knocked on the head, and she still had that feeling in the pit of her stomach that something just wasn't right. This was confirmed when they opened the cabin door to find a giant, bunny-like creature on two legs choking a woman.

Leorio and Kurapika both took immediate action to attack it, but it attacked at them first. It burst through the entire front side of the house, throwing all four of them around the yard. The landing didn't help Genesis' headache one bit, and she even became dizzy as she tried sitting up to look around.

As the creature bound off, she was able to make out that Gon had followed it. When she tried to call out to him, her voice retreated, and she fell back onto the grass, the colors starting to fade together.

"Leorio!" she heard Kurapika call. "Stay here with Genesis and see if that man is hurt!"

By that statement, she assumed Kurapika had gone to chase after the creature as well. She tried to push herself up again, but things got more confused in her mind. Colors were still blending and her eyes weren't staying focused.

"Leorio!" she shouted, pushing against her vocal chords with all her might.

She heard footsteps and then was vaguely able to make out the brown of Leorio's shoes. She reached her left hand up, not even entirely sure what she was reaching for. Leorio grabbed a hold of it and pulled her up, trying to guide her to the cabin. Once they made it inside, Genesis collapsed to her knees and put a hand to her forehead.

"Is that girl alright?" the injured man asked and Genesis shook her hand at him.

"I'm fine," she said, but her voice came out strained and broken.

She looked up to see Leorio treating to the guy's wounds. As she tried to crawl closer, she saw a cut on the man's arm that was giving off a lot of blood. Her already dizzy eyesight started wavering even more and she dropped her hands to the floor to support herself. Her head wasn't getting any better so she closed her eyes and let her body fall to the left. The cabin creaked when she fell, but she couldn't tell if anyone had really noticed.

She wasn't going to faint again. She was just going to take a nap . . . before she threw up.

* * *

"Gon, can you _really_ see a difference between these two?" Genesis asked, pointing her finger between the two bunny-like magical beasts.

She had been asleep throughout most of the events of the night. But when the injured man Leorio had been treating turned out to be one of the creatures, she'd woken up. It should be noted that she had been woken up by the fact that the creature tried to kidnap her . . . and that didn't go well. Let's just say it involved a lot of chasing and a lot of sling-shotting.

"Well, yeah," Gon replied. "The one that you and Leorio were fighting is the son of the married couple." Genesis decided not to mention that the specific one Gon was pointing out wasn't one of the two in creature form because she understood what he meant.

Genesis balled her fist and shook it at the man who appeared behind one of the creatures. "Well that's just damn great!" she shouted.

When the man had turned into the creature, Leorio had left to find some medicine, so she had to fend the creature off herself. She wasn't happy about being left behind nor about being tricked.

"Your brother is extraordinary," Kurapika said. "Being able to tell them apart."

"I don't see why that's so great," she grumbled. "They're just a bunch of smelly animals."

Despite some snapping from her comment, the two creatures filled the group in on the fact that they were the guides. They all also praised Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon for the things they were able to do during the test. They even offered to show them the way to the exam.

But Genesis wasn't having it.

"I don't understand!" she shouted. "Once again, I haven't _done anything_ that shows I deserve to pass. Don't get me wrong, I want to continue with Gon, but I feel like I'm just being carried along. Like I'm not pulling my own weight here."

"That's not true," said that man who had initially captured her. "After you escaped from me back at the house, you continued to pursue me. And even though it looked like Leorio could have handled me himself, you were very adamant about helping. If I'm not mistaken, you used that same phrase. Something about not wanting to be extra baggage."

Genesis pushed her lips together and pulled her hat down over her eyes, crossing her arms soon after.

"That being said," the creature to the left said, "the four of you have all passed the test, as I'm sure you've already figured out."

At that, each of them grabbed on to one of the creatures (the daughter and son now having turned into the creatures themselves) as they flew to the exam site. Leorio was complaining of heights, ensuing an argument with Kurapika. Gon simple looked on with a determined face as he usually did. Genesis, on the other hand, tried to keep focused throughout the flight. She was still a little woozy, and her eyesight was still fuzzy, but she just blinked it away, finally managing to return to normal after a few minutes.

_I better not pass out again. I swear, what does this damn exam have against me?!_

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Tada! Done! Yay! Yes, I combined episodes 4 and 5. Why? Because it made sense to! (and because episode 5 was giving me writing troubles!) I like it. Personally anyway. What about you guys? Like it? Love it? Don't like it? Hate it? Favorite part? You've reviewed things before! Just give me your honest opinion, and I'll be glad to hear it. No bashing though. That's just mean. Hope you enjoyed. See you soon~_


	5. Part 1: Exam X Traps X Friends

**Author's Note: **_Welcome, my lovely readers~ This is the longest chapter of all of them! Do you guys know how Leorio is often used as a comic relief in the series? I do that with Gen sometimes. She has her little repeating patterns that fit in well enough to not disturb the story yet totally lighten the mood. (Like her hat. And her gender, though only one person really makes fun of her for that~)_

_Anyway, wrong subject. I want to thank everyone so far who has reviewed! MaoIsSleepy, kyouno-aru, MCRDanime, and SongWithoutWords. It means a lot to me that you guys reviewed, so thank you so much! And also a thanks to the 8 people who are following the story (don't know who all of you are, and even if I'm repeating a thank you, THANK YOU!)_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hunter X Hunter. I do not own ANY canon characters. I own Genesis, and some future plot elements. No cutesy disclaimer today, I'm too tired to fight with the characters._

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 5_

_Exam X Traps X Friends_

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Leorio asked, looking around the small, shabby restaurant.

The five of them had been taken to this restaurant by their guide and now stood in front of a chef looking down intently at what he was preparing. The guide that had stayed with them after the landing was the husband of the creatures, and the others flew back to their home upon arrival.

Their guide didn't pay mind to Leorio's comment and continued on with speaking to the cook. "Excuse me. We'll have the steak combo," the guide said.

The cook slanted his eyes but smirked at the group. "How would you like it done?" he asked.

Genesis honestly wanted to punch something. Ever since they had arrived in Zaban city she had been annoyed. That was most likely because she had been woken up considering it was now morning and they had to be on their way. None of the others had so much as spoken a word to her since she sent them that first glare followed by the pulling down on her hat. Even Gon knew that it was better to leave her alone when she was in this mood.

"Grilled over low flame," the guide answered, making the entire group shoot him weird glances.

Genesis was about to speak up (more like shout up) when the group was lead down a hallway towards the room where their table would be. When they entered the room there was no tables, just a squared, empty space.

"Welcome to the Hunter Exam," their guide told them. "It always takes new applicants by surprise."

"I can imagine why," Genesis mumbled, making the others glance in her direction before she waved them off, and their attention returned to their guide.

"They say that the number of applicants is in the millions, but only about one in ten-thousand makes it to this point."

"Oh wow, that's a lot!" Gon said, looking off in amazement at their guide as if that was somehow his doing.

"That's how difficult it is to reach the exam hall," their guide continued. "For beginners, you four have done exceptionally well. I'd be honored to be your navigator again next year!"

That comment made Genesis prick her ears up. Next year? Why would they need a navigator next year? Was he implying that they won't pass the exam? Genesis didn't like the idea of that. Her skills may not have been great, but they were far from bad. And Gon was light years ahead of her. If he was implying Gon would fail, he had another thing coming.

"Here, catch." Their guide threw four white, round disks towards them.

Genesis held out her hand and caught one of them. _406_. Looking around, she saw that all of theirs had different numbers. Gon was four hundred and five. Kurapika was four hundred and four. And Leorio was four hundred and three.

"Mister Kiriko," Gon called out as their guide turned to leave. "Thanks a lot!" He held out his hand to the older fellow.

Kiriko? Was that their guide's name? Genesis hadn't paid enough attention to really get that.

"You're very welcome!" he replied with a smile, reaching out to grab onto Gon's outreached hand. "See you!" and then the door was closed and he was gone.

The group had only a moment to stare at the space in which their guide left before the floor started to rumble and slide down.

"The whole room is . . . dropping," Leorio said, looking around curiously.

"Yes. And you had to state that because we _obviously_ didn't notice it," Genesis replied, crossing her arms and turning her hat up a little.

"Listen you," Leorio said, turning and pointing a finger at her, "I'm tired of your attitude today! You've been snapping at us all day and we've put up with it because you had a rough day yesterday. But I'm sick of it! All of us had it pretty bad. So grab the stick out of your ass and move on!"

"Leorio!" Kurapika said sternly but did not speak farther.

Genesis waved them off. "No. It's fine. I _am_ in a pretty pissy mood." Gon was too far away to whack her with his rod, so Genesis didn't even try to cover up her words this time. "Which means I'm the _last_ person you want to tick off, Leorio."

* * *

"He didn't have to say it like that," Leorio whined after a few minutes of silence. "He made it sound like we didn't have a chance in the world of making it our first year."

Genesis didn't respond but nodded. She had been thinking the same thing.

"One every three years," Kurapika said. "That's the passing rate for rookie applicants."

"One every three years?!" Genesis shouted, looking up and moving so that she was standing in front of the blond. "There are four of us! Are you saying that only one of us will pass?"

Kurapika shook his head. "I'm saying, statistically, only one rookie would pass. That doesn't necessarily mean it will be one of us."

"That's crazy!" she said. "If that's the case, why are we even trying?"

"Because we aren't statistics," Gon said, though he looked just as clueless as usual. "Just because it's usually like that doesn't mean it will be that way this year. I mean, look at the four of us. Can any of you imagine only one of us passing?"

Genesis and Leorio both shook their heads. "There's no way I'm failing this exam. And I don't think Kurapika will either," Leorio said, earning him a glare from the little girl.

"What about me and Gon?" she asked. "Don't you think we can make it?"

The tall man scratched his head nervously. "Well . . . if any of us is going to fail . . . I kind of think it would be you, Genesis."

The other three froze in place, and the room became quiet. Even the sound of breathing was scarce. Genesis' mouth remained slightly open as she had been taking in a breath at the time Leorio spoke, and her eyes were unfocused as she stared ahead. Her body shook as she released the breath and pulled her hat down.

"Good to know," she whispered and walked off to one of the corners.

It wasn't _that _surprising that Leorio thought she would be the one to fail. She was the one who kept complaining about not really doing anything so far. But putting the thought into her head that only one of them might move on to be a Hunter. Only one of them would get to fulfill their dream: To find their father, to avenge their clan, to have a lot of money (even if the last one was stupid). It wasn't so much that she was worried about her failing. She was worried about who else she would drag down. Out of all of them, she wanted Gon to win. Even if she hated his reasoning, she was with him no matter what.

But what if she failed? What if she had to leave? Would Gon continue on? Or would he quit with her?

"That's just great, Leorio," she heard Kurapika's voice become irritated. "You've upset her!"

The two began a heated argument that lasted for a few minutes, but Genesis tuned them out and continued staring at the wall. That was until she felt a tap on her shoulder. Glancing over, she saw Gon with a slight smile on his face.

"You okay?" he asked.

Genesis nodded and pulled her hat up a little. "I'm fine. Aren't I always?"

Gon laughed. "Yeah," he said. " . . . you know, I don't think you'd be the one to fail. They don't know you like I do, sis. I think you're the strongest one of all three of us."

"That's not true," she replied. "And even if it was, strength isn't all this is about. There's bound to be a lot more going into this."

Just then, the room came to a crashing stop and the doors in front of them opened.

"That's not the strength I meant," Gon said, but before Genesis could respond Gon started walking out.

Genesis, Leorio, and Kurapika followed suit, finding themselves in a room filled with people, four hundred and two other people if she had to guess. These people didn't look as friendly as the others they had encountered so far. In fact, they looked down right mean and rotten.

"Wow, there's a lot of people here!" Gon called out, reverting out of his serious state.

"Well yeah," Genesis said. "Obviously there are four hundred and six people here." She pointed to her pin, her's being the highest number.

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" came a voice from above. The group looked up to find a pair of beady eyes looking down at them. "I'm Tonpa," the person said, jumping down to join them.

The man in front of them was obviously a bit older and was rather heavy set. He had brown hair, black eyes, bushy eyebrows, and big ears (according to Genesis anyway) and he wore the number sixteen on his shirt.

"I'm number sixteen this year," Tonpa said.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Genesis said, "and what do you mean by 'this year'?"

"Oh that?" he asked nervously. "Well . . . this is my thirty fifth time taking the exam."

"Thirty-fifth?!" all four of them shouted at once, making the other examinees turn to them.

"Shh, Shh, keep it down," Tonpa said lowering his voice. "We don't want to attract any unnecessary attention. How about you tell me your names?"

Gon was the first to raise his hand to shake Tonpa's. "I'm Gon! This is my sister, Genesis. And those are my friends Kurapika and Leorio!" Tonpa shook hands with each of them, even Genesis, who thought that his hands were much too sweaty and much too large around her small hand.

Just then, a scream from a little ways off caught their attention. Looking over, they saw a man pressed up against the wall, looking almost as if he was _in _the wall. A playing card stuck out from the wall right in front of his face.

"Remember, apologize when you bump into someone." The voice belonged to an oddly dressed man whose red hair stood somewhat spiked up, as if he had too much hair gel in it. He picked the card out of the wall as he spoke, and when he gave a glance over his shoulder, Genesis felt a shiver run up her spine.

She took a step back and wrapped her arms around herself. Curiously, Gon stepped back with her. "You okay, sis?" he asked.

Genesis nodded, her eyes never leaving the man she now called 'Clown Man'. "That guy just gives me the creeps."

"Good," said Tompa, making her flinch. "That's Hisoka, number forty-four. Rumor is, last year he nearly passed the exam but was expelled for nearly killing an examiner that he disliked."

Genesis shivered again. "I _really_ don't like this guy, Gon," she said as she began to shake.

The moment this Hisoka had looked at her, Genesis knew he was bad news. Beyond that, he was probably the most dangerous person in the room. For the first time in her life, Genesis felt true fear when his eyes met hers for that brief second. Not the usual fear where her instincts kick in and tell her to protect Gon. No, this fear was worse, stronger than that. This was the type of fear that made her want to run in the opposite direction. It was the kind of fear that told her she would bolt if ever confronted with it. But what scared her the most was that it was the kind of fear, the only kind of fear, that could make her break her promise to her brother. Because she knew she couldn't protect him from it. She couldn't protect herself from it. It made her fear for her life. And it took a lot to scare Genesis. And this was all because of one, small glance.

"Why would they allow him back?" Leorio asked.

"The examiners are changed every year," Tonpa replied, glancing back at the group. "And _they_ decide what the tests will be like and who gets to take them. No matter how evil someone is, if the examiner wants to pass them, then they can pass them."

"That's sickening," Genesis growled, finally dropping her arms, but her body remained tense.

"I agree with Gen," Gon said. "If someone can scare her like this . . . then they must be bad news."

Genesis raised her hand and whacked her brother on the back of the head, but because of her stiffness and trembling, it ended up being more like a tap. "I'm not scared," she said, but her voice cracked.

She closed her eyes and took a moment to calm herself. Acting like this wasn't going to do her any good and would probably end up getting her into a considerable amount of trouble. Her lips parted slightly as she took in deep, slow breaths. Slowly, her muscles began to relax, and the trembling came to a cease in all but her hands, which remained a bit twitchy even after she uncurled them.

A loud ringing encased the room, but her intense concentration and loosening nerves managed to make the flinch only slight. She opened her eyes and looked up, seeing a man descend from the ceiling.

"As of this moment, the exam is closed to any further applicants," he said as his feet hit the ground. "I would like to officially welcome everyone here to the Hunter Exam."

Genesis looked at the guy with her brows raised. He reminded her of a monkey, and his mustache got on her nerves. . . or she just wanted to play with it; she wasn't sure. But the oddest thing of all was that she couldn't see his mouth. Nowhere. It just didn't exist. Or it didn't seem to. Even when he spoke she saw no indication of lips moving. This truly baffled her.

"Please, come with me," the man said, turning around and beginning to walk deeper into the tunnel. "Let me take a moment to remind you all that the Hunter Exam is extremely demanding. If you're unprepared or unlucky you may well be severely injured . . . or even killed."

Genesis groaned. "That's something they probably should have mentioned _before_ we came to take the exam," she whispered to her brother, who just shrugged and grinned, beginning to walk and follow the crowd. "Hey, wait for me," she called, running to catch up with him

"If you are alright with accepting those risks then you may continue following me," the man said.

More and more people began to follow him, and she heard him announce that there were four hundred and five applicants.

_Four hundred and five? So that guy really isn't following? . . . Is he really stuck in that wall?_

* * *

"Oh would you slow down?!" Genesis shouted after they had been walking for a few minutes. "Why is he walking so fast?"

"He wasn't before," Kurapika commented. "He must be picking up the pace."

If there had been a wall beside her instead of a group of smelly grownups, Genesis would have banged her head against the wall. But there wasn't. So she just leaned her head back and let out a long, prolonged groan. It's not like she was tired or anything, she wasn't. She just found this extremely tedious and annoying.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the examiner called out to the crowd. "I am Satotz, the examiner for the first phase." As if _that_ wasn't painstakingly obvious. "I will also lead you to the site of the second phase. Actually, keeping up with me until we reach the second phase _is the first phase._"

"What?!" she shouted just as the group started into a run.

After about thirty minutes of running, Genesis really _was_ ready to bang her head against the wall. She seriously thought about cutting through the mass of people and running into the wall. It would have been much less tiresome for her.

By this point, the muscles in her legs were beginning to tighten up, which gave her slightly less speed. To accommodate for it, she took longer strides and so far managed to keep up with her brother. But the longer she ran, the more she realized it wasn't just her leg muscles tightening up. It was all of them. It started with her legs, and when more time passed each of the ones in her arms started to tighten as well. She tried taking in deep breaths to relax like before, but this time it didn't help.

She only vaguely heard her brother make a comment about the test, as the hearing in her ears faded out for a second. When she came back in, Kurapika was explaining something.

"-physical endurance and more." was all she heard of his statement.

"We have to keep running and running but we don't know how far or how long. It causes a lot of mental fatigue too. This is a psychological test as much as it is a physical one." This was Tonpa, or at least she thought so.

Then Tonpa and Gon started discussing the other applicants, and Genesis spaced out. Her mind was focused on running. Running. Running. Running. And eventually, she had to add breathing into her thought process because, apparently, her lungs stopped taking in oxygen if she didn't. Minutes passed and the people around her began to blur. She wasn't sure if she was in front of Gon and the others or if she had fallen behind them, but they weren't beside her anymore.

Everything came back into view suddenly, so fast that she almost tumbled to her feet, but she caught herself and continued on. Something had jammed against her left shoulder, so she yanked her head to that side. Right in front of her was a silver haired kid on a skateboard. He must have bumped into her while trying to pass her.

"Not cool!" she shouted, but he sped up and ignored her.

It took her a minute to realize that the kid had slowed down a bit and seemed to be conversing with a group. It took her another minute to realize that the group was Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, and Tonpa.

"Hey," she called, and sprinted forward, managing to grab a hold to the back of Gon's fishing rod.

"I'm Gon and-" he stopped when he felt the tug on his rod. He sent a glance over his shoulder where he noticed Genesis holding his fishing rod. "And that's my sister, Gen, we're twelve."

She let go of his fishing rod and sped up just a little so she was right behind Gon and Skateboard boy (as she now decided to call him).

"It's _Genesis_," she corrected, and smacked Gon on the back of the head, this time accurately. "And don't go giving out my name to strangers without my permission."

Skateboard boy looked back at her and simultaneously jumped off of his skateboard, tucking it underneath his arm as he started to run. On his bare feet, he was at the same pace a Genesis, now directly to her left. He looked at her for a minute and she squirmed under his blue eyes, eventually pulling her hat down so she didn't have to see him. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smirk.

"Sister?" he asked. "If she wasn't wearing a skirt, I'd say she was a boy."

A vein in her head pulsed and Gon whistled. "Uh-oh," was all he said and put his hands behind his head.

"I. Am not. A. _Boy_," she hissed, bringing her left arm up to hit Skateboard boy, but he easily ducked out of her reach.

* * *

By the time that they had been running for three hours, Skateboard boy was in front of them (only barely and still in their sights) and Genesis was feeling the symptoms from earlier again. Though now, all of the muscles in her legs and arms had tightened, and her legs were beginning to go numb. The numbness started in her thighs and had slowly started making its way down throughout the course of the hours.

And when she saw Leorio drop, she stopped running in her tracks. She was only about a foot or two in front of him, but she didn't look behind her to check on him. She didn't look towards Gon, Kurapika, or Tonpa either. She wasn't looking at anything in particular. She just stared ahead, counting her breaths in her mind.

Everyone gathered around Leorio and began discussing what they should do with the situation. Genesis would have pretended to be listening if she had the capability to move. But the moment she stopped running, every inch of her froze. Her ears, however, hadn't stopped working like before. She heard Tonpa telling the group about the aroma from another tunnel being a sap used to heal Hunters. She had to admit that she hadn't smelt it until she purposefully took in a deep breath through her nose.

Tonpa and Leorio started walking back to the tunnel, and Genesis wanted to follow them; she wanted to get better. But the nagging urge not to leave her brother dug back into her mind. What if the tunnel was some kind of trap? What if she got stuck? Or what if it didn't work? She could get worse in there and Gon wouldn't know. And then she would be leaving Gon all alone, and _that_ was something she just couldn't risk. She could shake off whatever was happening to her. She just needed a little bit of time.

But then Gon and Kurapika decided to go back to the tunnel themselves. She almost sighed in relief but stopped because she soon figured out that she was still unable to move her legs. She tried willing them to move, but they wouldn't budge.

"Gen? Are you coming?" Gon asked.

The last thing she wanted was to worry Gon. So, telling him about her condition wouldn't do them any good.

"No," she said, looking down slightly. "I'm going to stay here and wait for you. That smell makes me nauseous." It was a big lie. She loved the smell.

Once Gon and Kurapika were gone, Genesis really did sigh in relief, managing to lift her hand to her chest to cover her heart. With that release, though, all of her strength left her body. Her legs crumpled up beneath her and her knees banged against the floor. One of her hands slammed into the ground to keep her upright while the other moved to cover her mouth as she began to shake again.

What was wrong with her?

She couldn't help but think that tunnel was a trap. And now Gon was diving headfirst into it. And she couldn't do a damned thing about it.

"What's wrong with you?"

Whoops. She had forgotten about Skateboard boy.

"Nothing," she said, forcing a smile and looking up, but the way she was panting and her eyes were wavering must have given away the lie.

"Doesn't look like nothing," he said and took a step towards her, observing her. "Stand up."

"What?" she asked.

"If there's nothing wrong with you . . . then stand up."

Both of her hands were now on the ground, and she pushed against it. Her legs were like jelly, but she could still feel her feet and was able to get the soles of her shoes onto the ground. With the support from her feet and her hands, she forced herself into a standing position, but immediately fell against the wall (still standing, thankfully.)

* * *

Skateboard boy hadn't asked Genesis anymore questions after that point. In fact, he hadn't done much of anything. She wasn't sure exactly what he was looking at, but he just kept looking back towards where everyone had run off to. When he glanced at her through the corner of his eyes, Genesis pulled her hat down and looked away.

"Hey, I said something to you!" Something came down heavy on her head and she yelled, pulling her hands up to rub it.

"What in the hell was that for?!" she asked.

"I said that I was gonna board back and if you were done being a lazy ass or are you just gonna mope around here?" Skateboard boy asked with irritation rolling off his tongue.

"Well obviously I-" Genesis was about to say that she didn't have the strength to go anywhere, but she stepped forward and found that she had no problems. This baffled her, and she furrowed her brows. What was so different from just a minute ago that could have helped her regain control of her body?

_He hit me!_

Just then, her hat was snatched off her head, making her ponytail fall and hit her neck.

"Wow, so you_ are_ a girl," Skateboard boy said twirling her hat around on his finger.

He smirked and sat his skateboard back on the ground, hopping on and sliding down the tunnel towards where the others had run off. Genesis clenched her fist and shook it in the air.

"You _brat,"_ she spat. "You come back here and give me my hat back!"

* * *

Genesis was only able to catch up to Skateboard boy when he stopped about two minutes later. She stopped right behind with her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

"What the hell was that-" she looked up to see that Tonpa was in front of them, sweating with a shocked expression on his face.

"You seem nervous about something," Skateboard boy said, completely ignoring Genesis.

"Me? No, I'm not," came Tonpa's reply, but even Genesis could tell that was as fake as it came.

"Yes you are," both Genesis and the silver haired boy said at the same time, making him give her a quick glance before returning his attention to Tonpa. "You led them to a trap," Skateboard boy continued on.

This time it was Tonpa and Genesis' turn to speak in unison. "What?!"

The boy smacked his palm to his face. "You really didn't figure it out?" he asked and sighed, regaining his composure as he focused on Tonpa. "There's something I think you should know."

Skateboard boy advanced forward, forcing Tonpa to step back. "Those who betray others seal their own fate. Because eventually they will be killed by an act of betrayal."

_Killed?_ When did killing come into the occasion? He wasn't saying Leorio had been killed, was he?

"I'm not lying," Skateboard boy went on. "If you want, I can prove it to you. Anytime. Like right now."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and a chill run over her. This wasn't the same feeling she got from the Hisoka guy; that was frightening. The one she got from this kid . . . it was just cold. Cold and solid. There was nothing flimsy about his voice. Whatever he said, she was pretty sure he meant it.

Tonpa moved about, laughing nervously until he hit a wall, obviously trying to stay as far away from the kid as possible. Skateboard boy just shrugged and looked over at Genesis. He lifted her hat, twirled it on his finger, and then pushed his skateboard so that he was rolling again.

_Three . . . _

_Two . . . _

_One . . ._

"Dammit! Give me my hat!"

* * *

"Hey, that's Kurapika," Genesis said, pointing forward. Her and the kid had entered the tunnel a few minutes prior and were now more or less equal in speed. She had calmed down by that point and couldn't reach her hat even if she tried. The boy was fast, especially with his hands.

At that he sped up a little, and Genesis was only able to register it at the moment she was beside Gon that the kid had kicked Kurapika. She gasped and looked at him with complete and utter shock as he stood there, half on his skateboard, just looking plainly at what he had just done.

"The hell was that for?!" Genesis asked.

"Shut up and you'll find out," Skateboard boy said, pointing to Kurapika who was standing up. "There is no 'healing cedar tree' like Tonpa said. This sap comes from the tree of hallucination. It's been used by assassins for a long time. It makes its victims re-experience the worst events of their lives. It eventually drives them insane."

Before anyone else could speak, Genesis threw both of her arms into the air, putting all attention on her. "Two questions," she said, pointing two fingers at Skateboard boy. "Number one, assassins? Like . . . murderers hired to kill people?" Skateboard boy nodded. "Second of all . . . then why aren't Gon and I experiencing such things? . . . Or you for that matter?"

He shrugged. "Maybe the two of you haven't had those experiences yet. Or . . . maybe it's because you're breathing through your mouth."

Genesis went to speak again but realized that he was right. Even since they had entered the tunnel, she had been breathing through her mouth instead of her nose.

"Now I have a question," Gon said, raising his hand as well. "How do you know this?"

"If he knew, then Tonpa had to know as well. Tonpa lied about the tree . . . and tricked us," Kurapika said, still on the ground.

"That's right," Skateboard boy said. "He set you guys up."

Genesis hit her palm with her hand, once again making everyone look at her. "If we see him again, that fat bastard is going to know just what kind of hell he dug himself into by messing with me."

Gon frowned at her and pulled his rod back, throwing the line towards her. She yelped as it hooked around her hair bow, pulling it straight out of her hair as Gon recalled his rod. Her hair fell to her shoulders and crowded her cheeks, making her flinch from the sudden contact.

"Aw, geez, Gon. That wasn't necessary," she whined, her cheeks burning red.

"Yes it was," he said calmly. "We need to get out of here." His attention had shifted back to the situation.

"Sure, okay," Skateboard boy said, tearing his eyes away from Genesis and towards the group in general. "I think I know a way we can save the old guy you were with _and_ catch up with the group again in a single move."

"And that would be . . . ?" Genesis asked, crossing her arms.

Skateboard boy just smirked at her. "A game would be no fun if you don't take some risks."

She sighed. "That doesn't answer my question Skateboard boy!"

All three of them decided to give her an odd look at that time.

"Skateboard boy?" said boy asked, pointing to himself.

"Yep," Genesis replied.

"Why?" Gon asked.

She shrugged. "He's a boy. He carries a skateboard . . . and I don't know his name."

This time Skateboard boy sighed, but looked over at her with a very slight smile. "It's Killua."

* * *

"Bombs?" Genesis asked at the small, compact objects that Skateboard boy (Killua, she corrected herself) had pulled out of his pocket. He nodded, and she grinned. "Sweet! We gonna blow some stuff up?"

Gon gave his sister a strange look, and she threw her hands up in defense. "What? They're small doohickies that explode and blow things up. How do you not think that's cool?"

Killua let out a chuckle before continuing. "Let's blow up this wall and all the disgusting sap covering it."

Genesis punched the air and grinned. She _really_ wanted to see that wall go kaboom.

* * *

"Ouch," Genesis mumbled after landing on her bottom once Killua threw the bomb. She was well aware of the fact that they had been joined by Leorio after going through the wall, and though she wasn't thrilled about it, she smiled and stood up. "Welcome back, Mister!"

Leorio was a bit groggy to start with, but once he stood up and focused his eyes, they landed on Genesis. "It's Leorio you brat. Stop calling me mister!"

Genesis laughed and put her hands on her hips. "Looks like Mister is back to normal."

"Wait a minute . . . Gon . . . Genesis . . . Kurapika . . .Pietro?" he whispered the last name, but Genesis managed to pick up on it.

"You were hallucinating from the sap," Kurapika said. "Tonpa fooled us."

"Oh," Leorio replied. "Looks like I owe you guys one for saving my butt."

"You bet you do, Mister!" Genesis shouted, pointing her finger at him. "While saving your butt, I'm pretty sure I hurt _mine!_"

That made everyone else in the room laugh, even earning her a small, almost unnoticeable one from Killua. But looking out through her hair, she noticed it. After that, Killua held up more small bombs in his hand and Genesis' face lit up.

"More?" she asked, and he nodded. "Yes!"

And once again they were flying.

* * *

"My head hurts," Genesis complained once they were walking again. Once again, Gon and Killua were directly in front of her, with her right behind them, right in between them.

"Well maybe that's because you landed on your head!" Gon said laughing. "And by the way, thanks for helping us, Killua."

"I wasn't helping you," he replied to which Genesis snorted. "I told you, this is just a game to me."

"Well you have one hell of an awesome gaming strategy," Genesis replied, grinning.

The examiner then told the group of applicants that they were entering the last stretch, and Genesis almost cheered with happiness. She was finally over whatever had happened to her in the tunnel, even though her head still throbbed, but she definitely wanted this test to be over with.

"Woohoo, the exit!" Gon shouted a few minutes later.

"Really?!" Genesis asked, pushing her way between the two boys. "Oh thank goodness!"

"You two sound . . . happy." Killua said, confusion in his voice.

"Hell yeah, I am," Genesis said, looking at him. "Aren't you?"

"Not really," he replied, looking away from them. "It's just an exit. This test was _so_ boring. It didn't feel like a game at all."

Genesis almost fell in shock. "Are you serious? Boring? You call being blown through a wall _boring?_"

"When I'm the one who has to blow it up . . . then yes," Killua replied.

Genesis facepalmed but her brother just laughed and sped up. "Maybe so, but we're another step closer to being Hunters!"

"Well woopdy dee-doo," Genesis mumbled under her breath.

Killua gave her a glance before looking forward to Gon. "Why do you two want to be Hunters anyway?"

"Our dad's a Hunter, that's why," Gon said. "I heard he's one of the best in the whole world."

"You heard?" Killua asked.

Genesis rolled her eyes. "We were raised by our Aunt. Our father left us when we were babies." She knew her voice sounded bitter, but she didn't care.

"But that doesn't bother me," Gon broke in. "I want to become a Hunter just like him!"

Killua seemed to accept that answer but turned to Genesis with a more questioning expression. "Doesn't sound like that goes for you too. Why are _you_ trying to become a Hunter?"

Genesis crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I don't want to be a Hunter, for starters," she said. "But my bubble brain of a brother has it in his head that it must be some amazing thing. So I'm tagging along to make sure his sorry butt doesn't get into too much trouble."

He blinked at her, confusion still looming over him. "Why . . . would you do something like that?"

"Because," she said, "he's my brother."

" . . . So?"

She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Why not? I have brothers too."

"There's a difference," Genesis corrected. "Gon and I are twins. That might not mean much to some people, but it means a lot to me. Gon and I have been together since we were _born_. We've been protecting each other since the moment we saw each other. I'm not going to betray that now."

There was silence, and she looked up to see the light of the end of the tunnel coming closer. The light pierced her eyes and made her put her hand to forehead to block it. Then another thought crossed her mind.

"Hey, you, Killua," she said, turning to him with her hand outstretched. "My hat. Give it."

He smirked and pulled her hat out of a pocket on his shorts, twirling it again. "This hat?" he asked. "Naw, I think I'll keep it."

She huffed and lunged forward, only to have him toss her hat up and run forward on his skateboard. A few feet in front of her, the hat landed in Killua's hand.

Genesis slumped her shoulders and whined, "Oh c'mon, Killua!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Wow. That is loooooong. After I wrote it, I thought about splitting it up into two chapters but . . . it didn't feel right. I like everything just where it is. Yes, I combined another two episodes, and even cut off the very end of episode seven because I'll just lead with that in chapter six. So . . . um . . .what do you guys think? Is Killua . . . believable in his conversations with Gen? What do you think about her little meltdown (okay not sure it can be called a meltdown, but I assume you know what I mean)? What do you think was the cause of it? Do you think that's the last we'll see of it? Anything else you want to add? Review if you can please. When I get reviews, I know people are reading (because I'm much too busy *cough*lazy*cough* to check the statistics). If you have something helpful for me, then please tell me. It might just really help me. So, as for that being said, toodles, and see you next chapter! ~Red-chan_


	6. Part 1: Hisoka X Injured X Terrified

**Author's Note: **_On a first note, sorry for the delay! There's been a lot going on! I had to write a children's book for class and we had to get ready for Thanksgiving, and it was just really hectic! But I hope you guys like this chapter! I'm so glad all of you have continued to read this story! On a second note, on my page, there is a link that says is made for the fan page for my story 'Red' BUT because of the fact that I started using it for other purposes, I turned it into my author page. So you can go to that page to see any updates. I talk about future story plans, how each chapter is coming along, how far into I am and blah blah blah. So, if you like HoF, I'd really appreciate it if you would like that page!_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Hunter X Hunter or any of the cannon characters. I do own Genesis._

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 6_

_Hisoka X Injured X Terrified_

* * *

"Welcome to Swindler Swamp. We have to make it through this to get to the site of the second phase," Satotz said as the group exited the tunnel. "There are a lot of creatures unique to these wetlands. They are crafty and are likely to try and deceive you. You don't want that because if they trick you . . . I can almost guarantee you'll be eaten."

Genesis wasn't much worried about any creatures. Not in the sense of them tricking her and eating her anyway. Even though she was a mere child, it wasn't too hard for her to see through deception (of course, Killua would beg to differ, considering she didn't see Tonpa's lie). She didn't much enjoy the new atmosphere nor was she found of the surroundings. The ground was soft and wet with fog crowding her line of sight beyond their examiner. She didn't like not being able to see.

She was brushed out of her thoughts by loud shouting coming from behind them. Turning, she thought she was going to be sick at the sight. There was a man standing by the entrance of the tunnel, obviously injured with blood on his face. If that didn't make her woozy enough, in his hands he held a sack with someone's head and arms sticking out of it. They looked dead. They definitely looked dead.

He was shouting at them, but the blood in Genesis' veins was whooshing around. She could hear it in her ears along with her erratic heartbeat. So hearing him was nearly impossible. But whatever he was saying, it had something to do with their examiner, because everybody turned to look at him. And then everybody looked at the guy and the sack. She looked too and felt like she was going to vomit.

Why?

Because he threw the sack down, letting the creature inside become clear to their eyes.

She covered her mouth with her hand and put her other one on Gon's shoulder, leaning her forehead against his back.

"What's wrong?" Gon whispered, leaning his head back a tad.

Genesis shook her head lightly, gulping. "I don't feel so well."

Gon took one look at the man and the creature and nodded, understanding his sister's predicament.

"Kurapika?" Gon looked to his right towards the blond male. "Do you think this is part of the Hunter Exam?"

Everyone stopped and things got quiet. Even Genesis opened her eyes and dared to peer over her brother's shoulder towards the group. Most were gathered around their examiner, questioning looks in their eyes. The silence didn't last long because more questions came into play.

Did their examiner have a Hunter's License?

Did he steal it from the guy claiming to be the real examiner?

Genesis pushed her shoulders back and looked at the group with furrowed brows. They were questioning whether or not Satotz was the real examiner? Were they stupid? They followed him for _hours_ through a long, disgusting tunnel, trusting him, and they're so easily doubting him? Heck, how did that even make sense?

And then three playing cards whizzed by her face, and her body froze. Her eyes watched them stick into the bloody man as he fell to the ground. One of them had even been caught by their examiner. Another chill ran up her spine, and a maniacal laughter filled her ears. Her eyes darted to its source. A clown looking man shuffling a deck of cards with a grin plastered on his face.

_Hisoka._

The sick feeling in her stomach dissipated, but a new feeling started climbing its way back up. Immediately, she reached her hand between her skirt and her pants to grab her slingshot, freezing the moment she pulled it up to shoulder height. By now, the crowd was starting to settle and getting ready to continue on, but while they relaxed, Genesis remained tense.

"Wow. That was-wait. What's that?" Killua asked and she snapped her head in his direction.

"Slingshot," she muttered automatically, bending down to pick up a small pebble lying at her feet. "To hit people with." She placed the pebble inside her weapon and pulled it back, aiming towards Killua but keeping her eyes on Hisoka, who was moving slowly through the crowd. The moment she released, she heard a yelp from the silver haired skateboarder. She turned her gaze to him momentarily, finding him rubbing his shoulders.

"I didn't think you'd actually hit me," he said, rolling his shoulder.

"Gen doesn't miss!" Gon chimed in. "When she aims, you're getting hit. No question about it."

Genesis' cheeks turned pink and her attention fluttered solely to their small group. She tipped her head down, causing her loose hair fall in front of her face; It was her only option considering Killua refused to return her hat to her.

"C'mon, the groups moving again," she said, putting her hands on Gon's shoulders and pushing him.

* * *

Genesis would have shouted her complaints about running in a muddy forest with a fog that she could barely see out of, but she was fairly certain that opening her mouth to speak would have resulted in said mud meeting with her mouth. And she did not appreciate the taste of dirt, much less wet dirt.

"We're going to lose sight of the examiner," Gon said from beside his sister. "We should move to the front."

Genesis nodded in agreement, but Killua took a step in front of them and shook his head. "That's not our only problem," he said. "We need to stay away from Hisoka."

The clown man couldn't have been too close to them because Genesis didn't feel him too strongly. She couldn't really explain it, but anytime he was near her she got a chill down her spine, her mind went blank yet was still running at a million miles an hour, her body shook, and she couldn't focus on anything aside from getting away from him. But Killua was right. If he was getting close to them, then they needed to get as far away as possible.

"Why?" Gon asked, and Genesis nearly hit him again.

"He's a bloodthirsty killer, Gon," Killua said, pretty calmly. "And I bet he's looking for his next victim."

Genesis shook her head and rubbed her arms as the chill ran up her spine. Sign one that Hisoka was getting closer.

"And just _how_ do you gather _that_ information, Skateboard boy?" she asked, trying to hide her fear with her sarcastic attitude.

Killua glared at her. "His scent," Killua said. "I'm just like him."

"Doesn't seem that way to me," Gon replied and Genesis had to agree. Killua may have been annoying to her, but she didn't get the same vibe off of him as she did Hisoka. And her instincts of people were usually pretty dead on (again, Killua would argue with the Tonpa incident, but she honestly wasn't too fond of the fellow from the beginning.).

"That's because I'm good at hiding my true nature," Killua replied. "Kind of like that creature back there. But don't worry, you'll find out sooner or later."

Just then, Gon called out to Kurapika and Leorio, telling them to come to the front to keep away from Hisoka. Genesis could see that Killua thought that was a stupid idea; shouting out so that everybody (even Hisoka) could hear that they needed to stay away from him . . . that basically defeated the purpose.

Genesis ran up to beside Killua, giving him a meek smile. "I apologize in advance for him," she whispered. "He acts on instinct."

"No kidding," Killua whispered back, shaking his head.

* * *

"I think . . . we lost Kurapika and Leorio," Genesis said, glancing behind her and noticing the lack of candidates.

"You're right! Should be turn back and look for them?" Gon asked.

Genesis opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Killua. "No. Just keep going," he said. "Sometimes you have to just think about yourself. Do what's in your best interest. And hope that you don't have to hear your friends die."

Genesis cringed at the thought. She wasn't worried about them. Kurapika would definitely find his way to the end; he was too determined to lose. Leorio . . . even if he wasn't the strongest or the fastest or the brightest . . . she knew he'd pass too. He showed her already that he could handle himself.

"What if . . . protecting someone else . . . _is_ in your best interest?" she asked, having slowed down so that she was somewhere in between Gon and Killua's speeds.

Killua turned around to look at her, but her face was still mostly covered by her hair. All but her brown eyes, which were staring at him in such a piercing way that it was almost uncomfortable. He turned his head swiftly back towards the front.

"If protecting them gets you killed . . . then it obviously wasn't," Killua replied.

Genesis sighed and pushed her hair back behind her ears. For some reason, the fog was beginning to burn her eyes, and she found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open to watch ahead. She tried rubbing them, but when she did things just got blurrier, and it took her a minute to be able to see again. She really hated not being able to see.

"Leorio!" Gon shouted, and he pivoted.

Shocked, Genesis tried to stop, but she was running too fast and ended up skidding to her knees on the ground. She turned her head quickly to see Gon, but he was already running off in the distance, fading into the fog and disappearing from view.

_He left me. Again._

"Hey, c'mon. Get up!" Genesis looked up and saw Killua standing in front of her. "This isn't a repeat of earlier, is it?"

Genesis shook her head. "Of course not!" She pushed herself to stand, but when she went to uncurl her right knee, a searing pain shot through it. All of her body weight transferred to her left foot so she could keep her right one bent as she looked down to see the problem. When she did . . . her head began to throb.

There were plenty of tiny rocks hidden beneath the mud of the ground, and they had taken great pleasure in tearing off the skin to her knee. Not only that, but she must have skidded across something sharp because there was a cut from her knee almost to her calf. And there was blood smeared on her knee. And there was blood running down her leg.

And she immediately threw up the contents of her stomach.

"That's disgusting."

Genesis caught a break and put a hand over her mouth, glaring harshly at Killua. She pulled her hand away to speak insultingly to him, but her stomach lurched again. This time she sprinted to the right where a tree was sitting (the pain from curling and uncurling her knee only making her nausea that much worse) and leaned over it as her stomach emptied itself.

Something brushed against her ear, and she tensed, nearly choking. She slid her eyes back as she felt the hair pull away from her face, seeing the familiar scrunched up look of the skateboard boy (which she still enjoyed calling him). He was standing about an arm's length behind her, with his own arm stretched forward and his fingers wrapped around her hair, pulling it back away from her face.

"This is really gross, but . . ." he crinkled his nose, "if you got that stuff in your hair, I'd have to smell it for the rest of the phase."

The glare she had been sending him softened, and she closed her eyes, taking in breath after breath in hopes that it would calm her stomach. As long as she didn't see the blood, she'd be fine. As long as she didn't think about the blood too much, she'd be fine. But that left her with one problem. She had to clean her leg, to keep it from getting infected and also so that she could move it properly again.

_Why can't doctor man be here when I need him?_

Sniffling, since her nose had gotten runny during the little incident, Genesis rolled down her left sleeve, wiping it across her mouth. She stayed with one hand against the tree, the other held to her mouth, for a moment as she regained control of herself. Once she felt strong enough to move again (meaning when her entire body wasn't rocking) she pushed her sleeve back up to her elbow and leaned back slightly, turning her head.

"Thank you," she said to Killua, though her voice cracked.

Her hair then fell, brushing gently against her face, making her feel more secure once again. She pushed her back up against the tree and rubbed one of her hands against her eyes.

"What was that about?" Killua asked.

"Nothing," Genesis snapped, wincing at the harshness in her own tone. "Can you do me a favor, Killua?"

Said boy snorted and crossed his arms. "And why should I do anything for _you_?"

Genesis groaned. "Because we've already lost site of the examiner!" she shouted, throwing her hands up. "And if you don't . . . then I'm out of the exam. Right here. Right now. If you don't help me, I can't reach the second phase."

Killua squirmed under the conditions but sent her a serious yet cautious look. "What is it?"

She let a sigh out through her nose and slid down the tree until she was sitting on the ground with her injured leg propped up. She lifted her right arm and pinched her shirt just above the elbow, leaning forward and sticking the fabric between her teeth. Trying to keep her grip on it, she used her other hand to grab the cloth right underneath where her teeth were holding it and started tearing at it. She managed to make a little hole in the fabric, but it wasn't tearing like she wanted. So she released it from her mouth and leaned her head back against the tree, another groan escaping her lips.

Her eyes were closed, so she was genuinely surprised to feel a pair of cold hands touch the skin of her arm. She kept her eyes closed as she heard the rip of her sleeve, shivering when the hands (along with her sleeve) slid down her arms. She slowly opened her eyes to see Killua kneeling in front of her, holding her torn sleeve out. Pushing herself up a little, she reached to grab it from him, but stopped a few inches away from his hand and recalled her hand.

"Can you . . . dab that on my knee?" she asked.

Killua's mouth fell open and he shook his head, pushing the cloth closer to her. "It's your wound! You clean it!"

"Please, Killua," she said softly, knowing that the moment she tried to put her hand anywhere near the blood, she'd pass out this time.

Under her pleading eyes, Killua reluctantly agreed but soon regretted it when she winced every time the cloth touched her. "If you can't stop doing that, then I'm not cleaning it."

"Sorry," she said and took in a deep breath when he leaned his hand towards her leg again. She bit down on the inside of her lip, trying hard not to recall her leg to her chest and cradle it until the pain stopped.

It wasn't until her dizziness passed over that she started to really feel the pain that had been inflicted upon her leg. It burned, almost as if she had spilled hot soup all over herself, and the mist that hovered over them caused it to sting even more.

"I think I've got most of the blood soaked up," Killua said. "It isn't bleeding too bad anymore."

Genesis nodded her head in thanks and motioned for Killua to stand up, to which she soon did herself. She tried putting her leg down on the ground to step forward, but a shot ran up her leg, through her torso, and seemed to stab right into her chest. While she gripped one hand against her chest, she let her other one rest gently against her leg as she bent it again.

"Dammit," she said, looking up and giving Killua an apologetic look. "I don't think I'm going to be _walking_ anywhere _anytime_ soon."

"No way!" Killua shouted. "You're not giving up right here, are you? You realize if you just sit around here until you heal, you'll die. Something will come and eat you. You won't make it ten minutes under this damn tree!"

This was probably the first real show of emotion she'd seen from Killua. And of course, it was a mix of confusion and anger. Genesis' smile turned into a smirk and she crossed her arms.

"Give up? I just said I wasn't _walking_," she said. "I'll find my way through this damn place using some other method of transportation. Besides, even if I did sit here, Gon would come back and help me."

"What makes you so sure?"

Her eye twitched. "Gon wouldn't just leave and not come back. I can count on Gon to help me when I need his help."

"People like you annoy the hell out of me!" Killua said, crossing his arms as well. "You rely too damn much on other people. Do you know where that's going to get you?" He narrowed his eyes. "It's going to get you killed."

Genesis would have argued back, but she bit her tongue. This wasn't the first time someone had lashed out on her about her reliance on Gon or how fiercely she protected him. The first time was when they were five and had gone with Aunt Mito to the market to buy fish and bread for Genesis' favorite dish. She had gotten distracted by something pretty in a store window and ended up losing track of Gon and Aunt Mito. She'd stayed in that shop for hours, just waiting on Gon to come back and find her. When they finally did find her, Aunt Mito had given her the loudest lecture ever. Everyone in the market was watching. Even the lady who owned the store was a little bit upset. They asked why she didn't ask someone to help her find them, and she simply answered, "Because I knew my brother would find me." That had gotten her grounded.

"Hey! I said c'mon!" Genesis snapped out of her thoughts at Killua's voice.

The silver haired boy was down on the ground in front of her with one knee sitting in the mud, his back facing her.

"Um . . . what?" Genesis asked, creasing her eyebrows.

"You're not going to sit around here waiting for your twisted version of a Prince Charming," Killua said, rolling his eyes. "So if you're not walking, then we're rolling. Now get on before I change my mind."

Genesis' face flushed and she shook her head so her hair covered her face again. Carefully, she climbed onto the young boy's back, her hands gripping his shoulders firmly. Killua stood up as straight as he could and hopped onto his skateboard (which wasn't the easiest task with a twelve year old girl on his back.) As he pushed off the ground and they started rolling through the muddied forest, he reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out Genesis' little white and pink hat, putting it in her hands.

"You know," he said as she fitted the cap back onto her head, "even though we're the same age, you're a lot lighter than me. Do you even eat?"

Her face turned from the light tint of pink into a growing shade of red, and she let her hat fall to aid her hair in hiding her face. She smacked him lightly on the head, but he just laughed.

Something else was bugging her.

"Why are you helping me?"

Killua's ears seemed to prick up at that comment and he used the corners of his eyes to look at her. "Why?" he repeated and she nodded. "Because . . . you're weird. You interest me."

That was a lousy reason if she'd ever heard one. But he was helping her. And she wasn't one to refuse free help.

"Of course, you owe me."

Whoops. Looks like she spoke too soon.

* * *

Most of the group (minus those that fell into the traps earlier on) was at the preparation point for the second phase by the time Genesis and Killua got there. Though, it couldn't have been too long after the group got there because they were still fidgeting about and didn't even acknowledge the twos appearance.

Killua walked up to a big tree sitting to the left of the building that was behind the candidates. Dropping his skateboard from underneath one of his arms, Killua leaned down and slid Genesis off of his back, standing up and stretching immediately after.

Genesis' first act upon sitting on the ground was pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Her leg still stung, and she knew she needed to get some disinfectant on it, but Leorio was nowhere to be found. And as she witnessed during the incident with the guides, Leorio carried around medical supplies in that briefcase of his.

Killua and Genesis didn't carry on a conversation as they waited for the rest of the applicants to arrive. There really wasn't anything to be said between the two. Though, Genesis did wonder exactly how Killua found her 'interesting'. Weird, she could understand; she'd been called that many times. But interesting? That's what she called Gon anytime he did something that surprised her, which surprisingly enough, happened quite often. She, on the other hand, found nothing particularly interesting about herself. At least, not something that would be interesting to other people. She found herself quite interesting in retrospect.

"Hey, there's your friend," Killua said.

Genesis glanced up and froze, the hairs on the back of her neck standing and her eyes growing wide. Her 'friend' was there alright. His short, spiky, brown hair, his blue business suit, his glasses that rested low on his nose, he was definitely there. But his eyes weren't open. They were closed. And he wasn't walking. He was being carried. And the person that was carrying him . . . that was what made her lose all sense of reason.

Her mind went blank, and for a moment, the pain in her leg disappeared. Even though terror was racing through her veins, and her immediate response was to run away, her body did something opposite to what her mind was saying. Stiffly, she moved to her feet, pulling out her slingshot and picking up another rock from the ground, one slightly bigger this time. Her hands trembled as her fingers adjusted the rock to the sling, pulling it back shakily.

In that moment, blue eyes snapped to hers, and a smirk played against the owner's lips. Her body froze again, her fingers becoming stiff and losing their grip on the sling. The rock shot forward toward the red haired man . . . but it didn't hit.

The rock stopped just inches from the man's face, held in place by his middle finger and forefinger. Her body seemed to register that this had been a bad idea the moment he lowered the rock, and his eyes caught hers again. Her legs crumpled beneath her, and she wanted to scream out in pain as her leg met harshly with the ground once more, but she was completely frozen again. She was unable to move as Hisoka walked closer, stopping only a few feet in front of Killua and herself. He sat Leorio down beside Genesis, against the tree, but instead of walking away, he got down on his knees in front of her.

"Wonderful aim," he said to her, his voice sending a shiver down her spine. "But next time . . . be careful who you're aiming at, Princess."

And then he stalked away, leaving Genesis shaking with tears streaming out of her eyes.

* * *

"Damn, what happened to you?" Leorio asked, rubbing some kind of stinging liquid onto Genesis wounded leg.

"I feel like I should be asking _you_ that," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I fell."

It hadn't been too long since Kurapika and Gon had shown up, waking Leorio and explaining the whole situation with Hisoka, which only caused further fear in the girl. Leorio had noticed Genesis' injury almost immediately, and as they waited on the second phase to begin, he started cleaning and wrapping it.

"You'd think a marsh would give you a softer landing," he said, applying medical tape to the gauze that basically covered from just below her knee to her ankle. Her knee only had a large bandage stretched across it.

"Yeah, you'd think," Genesis said, laughing slightly. "Thanks Leorio."

"No problem, kid," Leorio said. "Hey! You got your hat back!"

In that moment, with the surprised look in Leorio's eyes and the grin he was wearing, the tension that had surrounded her ever since her encounter with Hisoka withered away as a laugh came out of her. Even though that seemed to take their entire, little group by surprise, she just couldn't stop. Her laughter seemed to break the atmosphere surrounding them, because suddenly Leorio was laughing with her and Kurapika was chuckling under the hand he held to his mouth. Even Gon joined in, plopping down on the ground beside his sister and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, grinning through his own laughter.

"You people are weird," Killua said, but that only made Genesis laugh more.

These were her friends.

A mysterious, blonde-haired, girl-like boy that never ceased to surprise her.

A tall, goofball, doctor man that she could hardly believe she was labeling under 'friend'.

A silver-haired, creepster that seemed to question everything she said or did.

And of course, her best friend.

The black-haired, cheeky grinning, fishing pole carrying, twelve year old twin that she would do anything for.

But as she laughed with him, the image of Gon's retreating form in the marsh flashed through her mind, and for a second she wanted to frown.

Gon was impulsive. He always did what he thought was right in the heat of the moment. And Genesis couldn't help but think that in the heat of the moment . . . she wasn't his top priority.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_I'm keeping this one quick! What did you guys think? I love reading your reviews and I hope you guys liked it! Just let me know! I'll see you guys in the next chapter (which, if I'm being honest contains the scene that sparked the idea for this fanfic. Well, it was one of the first scenes that came into my head when I was creating the character of Genesis. It's also why I came up with her using a slingshot). So, be ready for it! Toodles! ~Red-chan_


	7. Part 1: Menchi X Confusion X Failure?

**Author's Note: **_Wow, took me long enough, didn't it? Sorry for the wait, but I've had a lot of tests going on, so busy, busy, busy me. Um, please not that in an earlier chapter I made the annoying mistake of calling Genesis' vest 'light blue'. It was SUPPOSED to say 'light green'. So . . . just letting you know. I must have missed it during one of my proofreads. _

_On a side note, for those of you who have read 'All I Know', I'm working on part 2 of that right now, and I'll have it out as soon as it's ready._

_Now that that's out of the way, enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 7_

_Menchi X Confusion X Failure?_

* * *

The entire group had moved to their feet when the compound door began to rise, anxious to see the arrival of the phase two examiner. Surprisingly enough, they weren't met by an examiner. They were met by _examiners._ Two of them. One was a big man. A . . . very . . . . very . . . very big man. So big, in fact, that Genesis' mind had such a hard time wrapping around it that she missed the beginning of the examiner's speech.

"What's that?" Gon asked, snapping Genesis back into the conversation.

"What's what?" she asked, turning from her brother, to Killua, to Kurapika, and to Leorio.

"Gourmet Hunters are Hunters who . . ." Kurapika began, but by the time he got that far, Genesis had lost herself in her own thoughts.

She knew what Gourmet Hunters were. They were Hunters who studied exotic and foreign foods and ingredients. They then used those things to create new kinds of dishes and variants of food. Looking at them, she could tell that they looked like the type of people who would enjoy that sort of thing. At least, the big one looked to be that way. The small, pink haired one she wasn't so sure about.

Speaking of which . . .

"Um . . . what's the point of her wearing clothes if we can see right through them?" Genesis asked her group, but when the pink haired girl stopped talking and turned her eyes to the little girl, she knew she'd heard her.

"Do you have a problem with the way I'm dressed?" the female examiner asked, standing up and crossing her arms.

"Not a problem really," Genesis said. "I just . . . don't see the point. You might as well be standing in front of us naked."

The examiner's brow twitched and she glared at Genesis, shaking her fist at her. "Why you little-"

"Menchi, I think you should calm down," the big examiner said, interrupting the other. "We still need to tell them about the phase."

Menchi sighed and rubbed her pulsing temple. "Right, right," she muttered, glaring once again at Genesis before returning her attention to the entire group. "The subject for this phase . . . is cooking."

Cooking? Like with ovens, and pans, and knives, and stuff? Well that couldn't be too awfully difficult. After all, Aunt Mito had started teaching Genesis to cook when she was nine. She couldn't cook real advance meals, but she knew the basics. She knew how to use the utensils, equipment, and how to make a select amount of dishes. If Aunt Mito cooked it, Genesis could make it.

But then again, the only people who'd ever eaten her cooking were herself and Gon (and on occasion Aunt Mito). Neither Gon nor Aunt Mito had ever placed any complaints about her cooking before, and she liked it just fine when she cooked, but that was all circumstantial. Gon wasn't picky about food. It had to have least been decent, or Aunt Mito would have gotten onto her for doing it wrong. But that didn't mean it was any good. And Menchi just said that _they_, the examiners, had to like it. Pleasing Gon was easy, but two classified Gourmet Hunters? That would be a little more difficult.

And an even bigger problem. Judging was over once the examiners were full. That definitely limited them a bit. They had to make the food good, and make it fast.

"This is bogus. I've never cooked anything in my life!" Leorio said. "We're doomed."

"But I can cook!" Gon said, shocking the group of four into looking towards him.

"Macaroni and cheese doesn't count, doofus," Genesis said, whacking him on the back of the head. "And I can make that better than you can. Heck, I can make more than you can period."

"You can cook, Genesis?" Kurapika asked.

With his eyes solely on her, Genesis face flushed a bit. "Basic dishes, yes. I've done a little bit of research on cooking over the last couple of years, so I could probably put something together based on that."

Leorio narrowed his eyes at her. "Have you ever made any of the things you've researched?" he asked.

"No," she said, turning her attention away from Kurapika, whose eyes left and then returned to her. "In theory, I could though."

"Alright, shut up!" Killua barked, making Genesis jump. "The mammoth is about is about to tell us what to cook."

All eyes turned to the mammoth (which Genesis had resorted to calling him since she missed the introductions) as they waited for him to speak.

She wondered just what she would have to cook. Unless the examiners had some kind of hidden kitchen with ingredients in it somewhere in that building, all they had to work with was the marsh. And THAT wouldn't be the easiest thing to deal with. Meat could be arranged; there were plenty of animals (she was sure) in the marsh (given that they might have been mutated creatures). Any kind of spices and such would be harder. They would have to have knowledge of what kinds of plants and such created the different spices to make it. What could they possibly be asked to make?

"A whole roasted _pig?_" Whoops. Looks like she missed the instructions again.

"The Great Stamp?" Dammit, she really needed to just stop thinking for once and listen, because she was totally lost.

Just then, a rumbling started underneath her feet, and Genesis leaned forward, looking from her right to her left in curiosity. When she did turn to her left, she only had a second to realize that a herd of giant horned pig-type things were running towards them.

_I'm betting that's a Great Stamp . . . which means I have to kill and cook that thing . . . oh joy._

* * *

"Genesis, come down here!" Gon shouted from the base of the tree, running and jumping constantly due to the two Stamps chasing him: the one that had followed him and the one that had followed Genesis.

"No way!" Genesis said, pulling her arms tighter around tree and intertwining her legs under the branch she was sitting on. "That thing will chase me! And do you know why? Because it HATES me!"

"I don't think that's the problem, Gen," Gon shouted back. "Animals love me and both of them are chasing _me_ right now."

Gon jumped again to avoid being rammed into, but this time he landed on one of the Great Stamp's backs. He glanced up towards his sister, who just shook her head violently again, and frowned. His sister was seriously afraid of getting trampled by the creatures, and there was no way he was going to get her down from there with them running circles around her.

He was jolted out of his thoughts from his sister's scream, and he looked over to see the other Great Stamp ramming into his sister's tree, making it shake and nearly knocking her off.

"GYAH!" Gon shouted, trying to stand, but the unstable bouncing from the Stamp's running knocked him back down onto his bottom. "Stop already!" He lifted up his fishing rod and slammed it down on his Great Stamp's forehead, and the creature immediately stopped and fell to the ground. "I didn't expect that to work." He shrugged and jumped off of the Great Stamp.

"Stop attacking my sister!" Gon yelled, swinging his fishing rod and hitting the Great Stamp from behind.

The creature's head twitched in irritation, and it turned towards the boy, ceasing its banging on the tree. Genesis opened her eyes and loosened her grip a little from the tree, watching as the Great Stamp readied itself for an attack. Gon had pulled his rod back and looked prepared to attack it again.

_That thing is gonna charge right at Gon!_

With all the fear suddenly leaving her body, Genesis jumped and wrapped her hands around the branch above her head, letting her feet dangle just above the branch she had been sitting on. Giving herself a few good pushes forward and back, she swung her legs and aimed, waiting patiently for the Great Stamp to initiate its attack. As soon as she saw the animal's back foot let off from the ground she swung forward, pushing her palms hard against the branch and letting go.

She was only flying through the air for a second before her feet landed on something solid yet unstable. They hit down hard, but she immediately lost her footing and fell to her bottom. Her hands reached out, and she wrapped her arms around the horn of the Great Stamp, yelping as the animal let out a squeal before falling to the ground with its legs folded under itself.

Realizing that the Great Stamp was dead, Genesis grinned and stood up, jumping off of the creature and back on to the ground.

"And that is why you _never_ mess with me or my brother!" she said, kicking its horn, crossing her arms, and sticking her tongue out.

"Wow, Gen!" Gon said, running up to her and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her off the ground a little with his hug. "How did you do that?"

Genesis grinned and wiggled her arms out of his grasp, planting her feet firmly on the ground again. "A human slingshot," she said, pulling her arms behind her back. "It would have worked much better if I'd had something to pull me back, but I had to improvise."

Behind her back, Genesis rubbed her right arm with her left hand. She definitely pulled a muscle while doing that, which was to be expected due to the weight and pressure she had to apply to give herself enough force to propel her far enough to reach her target.

_But let's not do that again anytime soon._

* * *

"Are you alright, Genesis?" Kurapika asked, walking up to Genesis as the male examiner devoured the pigs (to which Kurapika cringed).

She looked over at him, still rubbing lightly on her arm, and her face turned a light shade of red. "Oh? Yeah. Getting that Great Stamp was just a little more work than I wanted to do, that's all."

Kurapika nodded to her and crossed his arms, looking over at the other examinees, mainly Gon, Leorio, and Killua, who were stationed a bit closer to the front of the pack.

"Hm. Yes. Gon told me about that. It was quite remarkable, actually," he said.

Her face reddened and she shook her head, pulling her hat down. "R-remarkable?" she asked, stuttering slightly. "Naw. Anyone with good aim and upper body strength could have done it."

"Perhaps," Kurapika replied, smiling a little. "But . . . in fear of sounding sexist . . . you _are_ a twelve year old girl."

Despite the little sting that she felt in her ego, Genesis laughed, using her hand to cover her mouth a bit. "I see your point. But it really wasn't that hard. I just used my arms as a sling and used the rest of my body to aim."

"Well, Gon is right," Kurapika said, finally turning to look at Genesis. "Your aim is impeccable. The slingshot really is your best weapon of choice."

More red appeared on her face, and Genesis held her hands up to cover it. "You're embarrassing me, Kurapika."

Now it was Kurapika's turn to give his own slight chuckle. "I apologize. It seems you don't take praise as well as Gon does."

In truth, Genesis liked the feeling when she was praised. She liked it when people recognized the things she was good at. But Kurapika's words turned her stomach upside down and kept her face too hot and made her all flustered. And it was a very uncomfortable feeling for her.

* * *

"Sushi?"

Once again the crowd decided to repeat the examiners orders, as if everyone else hadn't already been listening intently for directions beforehand. Most of the examinees were on edge (which didn't seem necessary considering they all passed the first half of phase two), torn between expecting the easy to satisfy results to work on Menchi like it did Buhara (which Genesis learned was the big examiner's name) or listening to Menchi's words that she wouldn't go quite as easy on them. When the pink haired examiner had said that she had looked directly at Genesis, and the young girl got the impression that she really wanted her out of this competition.

_I make one comment and she writes me off her list. Damn, this girl is hard to please._

In the middle of her thoughts something occurred to her. Menchi said that they were to prepare Sushi. That sounded awfully familiar to her. Sushi . . . Sushi . . . Sushi . . . She knew she'd heard, seen, or read that somewhere before. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and rubbed her temple, running through her memory trying to find anything about the word Sushi.

"Sushi . . . Sushi . . . Oh!" Genesis snapped her fingers and opened her eyes. "That's some kind of fish, isn't it?" She'd said it quite quietly, holding her hand to her chin, just in case she was wrong.

"What?" Gon asked, turning to her. "How'd you know that, Gen?"

"Oh . . . uh . . . Aunt Mito," she said. "She bought me a cookbook once. I'm pretty sure there was something about Sushi in there . . ."

"Really? What was it?!" Gon asked. By now, their entire group of friends and even some of the other examinees were looking at her.

Genesis' face got red again, and she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm . . . um . . . not really sure," she replied, looking down. "But I think it had something to do with fish."

"That's right," Menchi said, causing Genesis to look up. "Fish is used in the making of Sushi. And so that you idiots," again she sent Genesis a dirty look, "are capable of at least attempting to make this right, allow me to show you your workstations."

Sections from the building in front of them began to rise up, revealing a kitchen-like area full of sinks, knives, a few containers that looked like they might contain spices, and prepared rice that was, apparently, required to make Sushi.

Everyone piled in, picking a workstation and beginning to observe their utensils. Most people were picking up the knives or picking at the rice, but Genesis decided to mess with the little vials. By the smells and tastes (and yes, she did decide to give them a little taste test) they weren't spices she was too familiar with. But by the taste she could also determine that kind of flavors each would be good at creating.

"Hand molded . . . ?" To her right Leorio stood staring at the station before him. "That should give me some indication of what it's supposed to look like."

"Well, yeah," Genesis said, placing the vials back down on the station. "Hand molded should mean that it's something you could naturally form using your hands. That gives the impression that the rice is what's being molded, because if you've ever tried, fish isn't exactly moldable. Not naturally anyway."

"I think you're correct," Kurapika said, picking up a spoon and looking at it. "I've also read about Sushi before. If I'm not mistaken, it's made mostly with rice, raw fish, and vinegar."

_Vinegar!_ That must have been what was in one of the two vials that she was shifting through.

"Well, if we have all of the other ingredients, let's go get those fish!" Genesis said, pumping her fist up in the air and grinning.

Leorio narrowed his eyes at her. "What's gotten into you?" he asked, arching his brow.

"Nothing," Genesis sang, clasping her arms behind her back and giving Leorio her bambi eyes.

"You're up to something," Leorio said, pointing a finger at her. "But I don't have time to figure out what it is."

As everyone headed on in search of fish, Genesis couldn't help but smile to herself. She suddenly remembered something and found something quite fun she could do with the information.

* * *

"Come here you slimy, little muncher!" Genesis said, reaching her hands down into the water again to catch one of the small fish.

Once they had arrived at the river, Genesis had discarded her shoes, her hat, and her vest to the side of the lake and rolled up her yoga pants. She had also ripped off the left sleeve of her orange shirt, leaving the bottom of the newly torn sleeve to only reach her elbow. This was so that it matched her other one. Then she had jumped into the water, commencing a game of tag between her and the fish.

A game in which . . . the fish were winning.

Another fish jumped up and squirted water in her face, avoiding her swatting hands and splashing back into the water and swimming away. Genesis huffed and tried to wipe the water out of her eyes only to remember that her hands were wet with water as well.

"Do you need some help, Gen?" Gon asked, holding up his own floundering fish.

"No!" Genesis whined, kicking her feet in the water. "I can handle this on my own."

Someone behind her snorted, and she turned around to see Killua, who had his own fish in his hands. "Doesn't look that way to me."

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask you, Skateboard boy," she replied, growling and pulling her hair back into a ponytail (thankfully she had stolen her ponytail holder from Gon earlier). "I will get this damn fish."

From observation over the next several minutes, Genesis discovered that not only had Killua and Gon captured their fish, but Kurapika had too (though that wasn't so surprising). What surprised her most was that Leorio had one already as well, leaving her as one of the only few without one. And being worse off than Leorio was something she couldn't stand.

With a scowl she walked up to a tree and tore off one of its smaller, weaker branches, sitting down and beginning to peel off the bark from the first four inches of the branch. After picking a few splinters out of her fingers, she grabbed a smaller rock and began rubbing and smashing it against the peeled end, using her fingers again in some cases, until the branch had a fine point.

Letting out a loud breath through her nose, Genesis stood and marched back over to the river and hopped in, eyeing the water cautiously. Once she saw a medium sized fish swimming upstream, she pulled the stick to eye level and aimed, running the trajectory, statistics, and force of the throw she would have to make in order to hit her target. When the fish was leaving her line of sight Genesis threw her stick, hoping that the throw was backed with enough force to cut through the water instead of being carried away with the current.

In a moment of luck, the fish had been preparing to jump out of the water, so the stick didn't have much water to pierce through before sticking into the fish. It flopped about and ended up on the side of the river, trying desperately to return to the water, but the stick prevented it from doing so.

With a smirk, Genesis walked to the edge where the fish was and pulled it up by its tail, carefully pulling the stick out. But by that time, the fish had already died.

_Which means I need to get to cooking before it's not good to cook anymore._

* * *

When Genesis got back, the entire room was in a panic. Well . . . save for a small group of people.

"Where's my seasoning?"

"Your seasoning? Where's my rice?!"

"Forget all that! All I have is this puny little knife!"

Genesis tried hard to hide her smirk, returning to her station and setting her fish down, silently going to work. With all the chaos around her, most would think she would find this distracting, but she didn't. That was mainly because this was the first prank she'd been able to successfully pull off in a while.

"Genesis." She turned to her right to see Leorio watching her. "How come you, Kurapika, and Gon are the only ones who aren't missing things?" he asked, leaning down and whispering to her.

Genesis shrugged and crossed her arms. "What makes you think _I_ had anything to do with it? You and Killua are missing things too," she said, giving him her bambi eyes again.

The vein in his forehead twitched. "That's exactly why I think you had something to do with this."

"What?" she asked, feigning hurt. "You think little ole me could cause this much mayhem on my own?"

"Leorio," Kurapika snapped. "Stop bothering Genesis and get to work. Unless you _want_ to fail the exam."

Grumbling, Leorio turned back to his station, chopping up his fish and molding his rice. After a while, when Genesis noticed the aggravated sigh Leorio let out, she herself gave a sigh and bent down, sliding open one the metal doors on the cabinet under Leorio's station. Standing back up she handed him a small vial of vinegar.

"Wait, what?" he asked, bending down and looking inside the cabinet himself. All of the missing ingredients were under his station. "Were you planning on framing me?!"

Genesis shook her head. "Actually, no, I wasn't. That was just the most convenient place to put everything. But . . . I've already finished my Sushi, so you can go ahead and return this stuff," she said, shrugging and arranging her fish on her plate.

"But I didn't take it to begin with!" Leorio argued.

Genesis laughed and shrugged again. "Not my problem anymore, mister!"

* * *

"What do you mean 'this is no good'? You haven't even tried it yet," Genesis asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Menchi. "It's fine! You're just being a bitch because you don't like me."

Menchi slammed her hand down on the table and leaned forward toward Genesis (who could have sworn she heard a scolding comment from Gon amongst the crowd).

"No. I'm saying this is no good because it isn't any good!" Menchi shouted. "I saw the fish when you brought it in. You punctured it in a place where its organs were damaged and the blood soaked into the taste. I noticed it while you were cooking."

Genesis' face turned red from both embarrassment and anger. She hadn't even paid attention to where she punctured the fish. That was a stupid, amateur move. She had enough experience in cooking that she should know. But she had been so agitated when she was trying to catch the fish that she didn't pay enough attention to where she was aiming. She should have aimed better.

"Are you alright, Gen?" Gon asked, stepping up beside his sister who was now back at her station.

Her entire body was trembling as she clenched her hands at her side, trying hard not to get upset by Menchi's words.

"I'm fine," she said sternly.

A look of worry came over her brother's face, and he immediately wrapped his arms around his sister, who only stiffened under his touch.

"I don't know why you're so upset . . . but you can always make more, Gen."

Making more Sushi wasn't the problem. She could always make more. By the way Menchi spoke, her preparations weren't quite wrong . . . except for the pierce. And THAT was where her problem was. She had made such a simple mistake. And it was killing her.

* * *

Genesis tried long and hard to catch another fish, but every time she attacked it, she punctured it in a similar manner. She knew she could ask Gon for help, but this was something she should have been able to do on her own. So while the other examinees were regaining their ingredients and being rejected by Menchi (whose yelling she could hear from the river) she was trying to catch another fish.

After about an hour with no success, Genesis walked back to the building to find everyone gathered around inside. She pushed her way to the front where she found most of her group standing, looking at the two examiners in complete shock.

" . . . What's going on?" she asked quietly, turning from one member of her group to another.

With his hands in his pockets, Killua kicked at the ground. "The exam is over. Nobody passed," he said.

Murmurs of angry words spread around the crowd of people, but Genesis tuned them out.

The exam was over. Nobody was able to fulfill Menchi's request. It wasn't only Genesis that Menchi had a problem with.

The exam was over. Nobody passed. That meant that her . . . and Gon . . . and Kurapika . . . and Leorio . . . they were all going to go home empty handed. _Skateboard boy too_.

The exam was over.

Nobody passed.

The exam was over.

Nobody passed.

The exam was over.

Nobody passed.

The exam was-

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Genesis shouted, and the room suddenly fell silent. "You can't do this! You can't fail us!" Tears formed in her eyes and her body began to shake as she took a few steps towards Menchi.

"You can't do this. Not to all of us," Genesis continued. "I mean . . . I might deserve this. And Skateboard boy here definitely deserves this-"

"Hey!"

Genesis sent him a glare to silence him.

"I don't know about all these people . . . but Gon doesn't deserve this. He may be stupid at times, and reckless, and . . . and a freaking animal lover but . . . all he wants is to find our father," Genesis said, glancing around in shock.

"And Kurapika. He's trying to do a good thing. He's trying to set things right. And he . . . and he wants to help people . . . how could you turn away someone like that?" The tears in her eyes spilled over, and her lips began to quiver.

"Even Leorio- who's a money-grabbing, grumpy pants- doesn't deserve to be kicked out now. I- I don't understand. How can you do this?"

"Gen?" Two hands met her shoulders, but her vision was too clouded for her to turn around and see.

Menchi stood to speak, but Genesis' head began to throb, and she couldn't hear above the pounding. Soon, she found that she needed to open her mouth to get the air to go to her lungs. She was panicking. She was hyperventilating.

She pulled a shaking hand to her chest and closed her eyes, trying hard to breathe through her sobs. However, the moment her eyes closed she fell back, caught by the hands that were on her shoulders.

And then she completely blanked out.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Not much else to say guys. But thanks for reading and I'll see you guys soon! Review please! ~Red-chan_


	8. Part 1: Eggs X Pass X Forty-Two?

**Author's Note: **_Hey guys! I know it's been forever (a little over a month) but I finally have Chapter 8 of HoF done for you guys! Now, this one is a bit shot (or maybe it just feels short to me) but it's still a good chapter. I've been really busy with Unusual and school and doing some personal Red-chan stuff, so this one took me a bit longer to write. Chapter 9 probably won't take me as long but I'm really not sure yet. We'll just see how it goes. And like I've been saying on my FB page, Chapter 9 is my favorite of all that chapters I've written, and I can't wait to finish it and share it with you guys. Until then, enjoy this chapter! Also, I apologize for any errors, such as spelling and misplaced words, even these things just slip right by my mind. Also on that same note, I will come back and re-edit all of those little word errors (like sometimes I put if instead of it, why? I have no idea)._

**Disclaimer:** _I, red-chan, do not own Hunter X Hunter. All I own if Genesis and any minor changes that may occur!_

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 8_

_Eggs X Pass X Forty-Two_

* * *

Waking up, Genesis knew she must have been out for a little while. The dream she had lingered in the back of her mind as she opened and rubbed her eyes, trying to focus on her surroundings. She was against a wall and, from what she could tell, she was alone. Though, alone might not have been the most appropriate word. The mob of people from the exam were still loitering around, but in the aspect of her in particular having company, she had none.

Actually, it looked as if everyone was gathered around in a circle, or as much of one has you could make with a group that big. Someone was talking, perhaps a conversation, but there were too many murmurs among the crowd for her to really pay attention; plus her head was throbbing.

She sat up while glancing around, looking for a familiar face, preferably the one of her brother. But she wasn't seeing him, and that aggravated her. Rubbing her eyes she stood to her feet, which were a little wobbly but the wall was there to balance her out.

The dream that occupied her mind during her state of unconsciousness fought its way back into her waking thoughts as she scanned the crowd, making it hard for her to register what she was seeing. Aggravated, she closed her eyes and leaned into the wall, letting the images wash over her.

The first image was of a yellow scarf wrapped loosely around a five-year old girl's neck. Said girl was burying her face in the scarf, hiding the pink that rose in her cheeks as a five year old boy walked beside her with a wide grin.

The second image was of a cold wood harboring a seven-year old cowering from a foxbear whose territory she had invaded. Her hands were over her ears, and her eyes were shut tight, and her body shook with fear. As she waited for the animal to attack her, wishing that by some ray of hope she would be saved, apologizing for doing such an intolerable thing, the growling stopped and all she could hear was the rain. And as she looked up, peering through the lids she couldn't dare to push all the way open, she saw a familiar face smiling back at her.

The third image was at the dining table that Genesis had become so accustomed to. A nine year old boy sat in the middle of the table with red on his cheeks and a pout on his face. Beside him was a girl of the same age, smiling and holding back laughter as she listened to a story being told by an older woman on the other side of the child.

The final image she saw was a collection of pictures swarming together to create a story. Two eleven year old kids danced around the kitchen late at night, laughing and crying subsequently. Four clumsy feet caused them to stumble and fall, leading to another round of laughs playing through the tears streaming across the girl of the pair's face.

Genesis soon felt her own tears starting to make their way onto her cheeks, and she quickly brushed them away, tapping her face a few times to decrease the redness lining her eyes.

"Genesis, you're awake!"

The girl turned her head a little to get a look at who was calling out to her, still feeling a tad bit groggy. Jogging up to her was the very familiar, spectacled face of her businessman-type friend.

"Heyleorio," she said, her words meshing together in such a way that it even surprised her. "Leorio. Hi."

He gave her a grin, seemingly unfazed by her mumbling, and knelt down to eye level with her. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, looking her over.

His eyes made her feel uncomfortable, and she shifted away from him, narrowing her eyes. "I'm fine, Mister," she answered, crossing her arms and pressing herself against the wall.

Leorio blinked with confusion but then stood back up with a scowl on his face. "Well fine, ya brat! I was just trying to help! Your brother has been worried sick for the last hour and a half."

Gon? He was actually worrying about her?

"Sorry," she said, letting her arms fall. "I didn't mean to worry anyone."

"Oh, good. You've come to," Genesis instantly recognized the voice as Kurapika's, tensing up a little as his footsteps drew nearer and he stopped beside Leorio. "We were beginning to wonder if we needed to call a medic."

"That wouldn't have been necessary," Genesis said, smiling. "We have doctor-man over here. He would have taken care of me."

Leorio's face flushed, and he shook his head. "What makes you think I have any interest in medicine?"

Even Kurapika had to let out a small chuckle at the older man's remark. Genesis let out a loud, gut clenching laugh that soon caught the attention of a few examinees around them.

"Leorio, you carry medical supplies in your briefcase, which we've seen you use at least twice already. We might be young, but we're not stupid," she said in between laughs.

Leorio was now flustered, and Kurapika was working at hiding his grin, two things that grew another smile out of Genesis.

"Gen!" called Gon, and the girl looked to see her green clad twin coming towards her.

"Hey, Go-" she began to greet him back, but the breath was knocked out of her by the tight squeeze her brother soon issued on her.

"Are you okay?!" he asked, retreating a little to give her some breathing room.

"I'm _fine,_" she stressed for the second time, sighing. "I just got a tad bit worked up, that's all, Gon."

Gon crossed his arms and gave his sister a worried look. "But you've never passed out from being upset before," he replied, a little pout forming on his face.

Genesis smiled and patted his head. "Don't worry about it, bro. I'm perfectly fine now, see? Nothing to worry about!"

Gon grinned widely and hugged her again, though this time without crushing her bones. Over her brother's shoulder, Genesis saw their silver-haired companion walking over, his skateboard tucked under his arm.

Taking note that their entire group was now assembled, Genesis pulled away from her brother and crossed her arms. "Now that I'm awake, do you wanna tell me what I missed?" she asked.

"Nothing really," Killua answered, shrugging. "Just a lot of arguing between Menchi and the rest of the applicants."

"Oh," she said, squinting as a sudden pulsating pain started in her head.

"You alright kid?" Leorio asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Genesis nodded, but Leorio just shook his head. "Gon, go turn the water on at my station, and I'll go get a rag." He looked back down at Genesis. "A wet rag should make your head feel a little better. We'll be right back."

When they were gone Genesis sighed and leaned back against the wall, shaking her head. "Why does everyone worry so much?" she asked, looking over to see a worried look on Kurapika's face as well. "Not you too, Kurapika!"

"I'm sorry, Genesis, but you have been acting a bit strange ever since we started the exam. It's only natural that we worry about you. We _are _your friends," Kurapika replied, his eyes softening a bit.

Genesis couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face (along with a hint of red shading her cheeks). "It's probably just the stress," she said. "My body just isn't used to the pressure the exam is putting on me."

The blond obviously thought that might be a plausible excuse because he dropped the subject, leaving the three to stand in their own form of silence as the noise of the applicants surrounded them. Inside that noise, a very clear yelp was heard from a familiar voice, causing all three to turn their heads towards the stations.

"Was that . . . ?" Genesis asked, pointing towards where they heard the sound.

"Hot, hot, hot. GON THAT'S TOO HOT!"

All three of them deadpanned, nearly falling over.

"Yep, that's Leorio alright," Genesis said.

"I'll go check on them," Kurapika said, his face in his hands as he pushed through the crowd to get to the other two.

That left Genesis and Killua together, a predicament that neither seemed too fond of. The last time the two of them were alone, they'd both said things they considered to be rather embarrassing. So, Genesis kept her eyes away from Killua, trying hard to focus on anything else, but nothing around seemed to interest her, and the throbbing pain in her head made searching for something to concentrate on even more difficult.

When she lifted a hand to her head in hopes of pushing back the discomfort, she was startled by the voice of her companion.

"Is there more going on than you're telling us?" Killua asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Genesis raised her brow and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "No," she said. "And even if there was, why would I tell you, Skateboard boy?"

"I don't know," he said, dropping his skateboard onto the ground and putting one of his feet on it. "Maybe because I can keep an eye on you without having anyone worry. That's why you won't say anything to them. They care too much, and you don't want to worry them."

"There's nothing wrong with me!" she said, raising her voice. "The only problem I have right now is a stupid, stuck up, Skateboard boy who keeps scrutinizing everything I do, and treating me like I'm some helpless little kid who can't care of herself!"

It was at that time that Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio decided to walk back over to them. When they did, they looked between the two twelve year olds with curious eyes, but Kurapika sent the other two a look that told them it was better not to ask. Instead, Gon carried the wet cloth over to his sister, who gave him a quick thanks and held the material to her head.

Suddenly, a voice boomed overhead, and the sound of propellers accompanied it.

"DON'T YOU THINK THE TEST WAS A LITTLE TOO DIFFICULT?"

Genesis had to hold one of her hands over her ears as the loudness of the voice and the propellers were making her head hurt that much more.

"Hey, that thing has the Hunter Association logo on it!" Leorio said. "Let's go check it out."

The group nodded in agreement, but as Genesis went to follow the group she found herself having to grip the wall again as the room began to spin.

"Gen!" Gon called, rushing back over to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied, smiling at him. "Just a little bit dizzy, that's all. Wanna give me a hand outside til this wears off?"

Gon nodded and put one of his sister's arms around his neck, putting one of his arms around her as well to help her walk. But with how slow they both walked, they weren't making it very far. They were both very surprised when Genesis was lifted up, and she found herself in a very familiar position.

"Put me down, Skateboard boy!" she said, smacking his shoulder.

"Shut up," Killua said, looking towards the girl on his back. "Your brother's too exhausted to help you, so I'm doing it for him. I'm not doing this for you."

She huffed and leaned her chin on his shoulder, grumbling words like 'meanie' and 'jerk-face' under her breath. Once they were outside, they looked up and saw a huge purple blimp flying above them. And to everyone's surprise, someone jumped from it!

Said person was an old man who landed without, seemingly, any injuries. "That guy is psycho," Genesis whispered while Gon and the others just looked on in awe. This was minus Killua, however, who only showed a look of curiosity. "Who is he?" she whispered to Killua, who shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno," he said. "Ask the brainiac."

"Kurapika!" Genesis called to the boy a few feet away from her. "Who's that?"

"I'm not quite sure," he replied, not even turning to look at her. "But Menchi called him the 'chairman'."

People all around them buzzed as they talked amongst themselves, whispering things such as 'chairman Netero' and 'highest authority of the Hunters Association'. Genesis wasn't sure what that meant, but the way Killua and Gon exchanged words made her feel like he was someone important.

Everyone's voices soon came to an abrupt halt as this 'Chairman Netero' person began to speak to Menchi.

"Let me see if I understand this," he started. "You wanted to test the applicant's resourcefulness with a cooking test. Correct?"

"Exactly!" Menchi exclaimed a bit nervously. "That was the whole point of my task! That's why I gave them such a difficult challenge!"

"Perhaps it was a bit too difficult," Netero said. "As the test went on you were having a hard time finding anyone who reached up to your standards. And so you just failed them all."

'_Yep,'_ Genesis thought. '_And she nearly gave me a heart attack in the process!'_

"Well, yes, I suppose," Menchi said, looking down. "Things got a bit out of hand when some of them started putting down cooking. And then there was one point where everyone got upset and I didn't have to try anything, and then EVERYONE wanted me to taste their dishes. I got so upset and full, and I didn't want to eat anymore, so I just failed them all."

"Look at her sucking up to the chairmen," Genesis said to no one in particular. "If he hadn't shown up she wouldn't have shown any remorse for failing us!"

"I can hear you!" Menchi shouted and spun to look at the group. "And you've been giving me crap all day. Show some respect!"

This immediately took Genesis back, and she jumped off of Killua's back. "Maybe I'd have a little respect if you didn't treat us all like garbage!" she yelled. "Or maybe if you didn't dress like a hooker."

More murmurs began to spread around the group but were quickly silenced by the chairman's voice sounding over them.

"That is ENOUGH! Both of you! I want the two of you in front of me right now," Netero said, and Genesis tensed, walking slowly to stand beside Menchi.

"Now, Menchi," Netero said. "You are going to have difficult applicants at times. You must learn how to deal with them. And you," he looked towards Genesis, who shrunk back a little. "What's your name?"

"G-Genesis Freecss," she stuttered, pulling her hat down.

A knowing look flashed over his face, but he held any comments he may have had. "Well, Genesis, here is my advice to you. There are going to be people, even adults, that you do not like. And in this world there are going to be times, like now for instance, when you just have to hold your pride and bite your tongue in the presence of those people. That is a lesson I hope you learn quickly, child."

Genesis nodded her head vigorously, her hands planted tightly against her side. She opened her mouth to spout an apology (unsure why but she felt a gut wrenching urge to do so) but the pink-haired girl beside her beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, Chairman Netero!" Menchi said, bowing. "I'm a terrible excuse for an examiner. I let my passion cloud my judgment."

The chairman's laugh startled both of the girls before him. Menchi stood immediately with a look of shock on her face while Genesis looked on in pure confusion.

"Menchi, you are a very earnest woman," he said after his laughter had subsided. "How about I give you another chance in exchange for a new test for these lads?"

"Ah, really?!" Menchi replied, holding her hand to her chin in thought. "Let me think . . . wait I've got it! The subject for this test is . . . a boiled egg!"

Even Genesis found this a bit surprising. A boiled egg? Just about anyone could boil and egg. But wait . . . where were they going to get the eggs from? Where would they even get enough for this many people?

"Chairman Netero, could you take us to that mountain over there?" Menchi asked.

The chairmen nodded and Menchi started gathering the applicants. "Wait," Genesis said to Menchi. "Does this mean I get to retake the test too?"

Even though a scowl appeared on the older girl's face, she replied, "Yeah, even you, brat."

* * *

"Okay, let me make sure I understand this," Genesis said, looking down into the canyon. "You want us to basically skydive off this cliff, plummeting towards a river that could disqualify us, never mind_ killing_ us, to grab an egg of some crazy eagle, and then bring it up here to cook?"

Menchi didn't answer, just giving an incredulous look that said she was very daring for questioning her. Genesis just groaned and turned to her friends, pouting her lip out.

"This is insane. You guys know that, right?" None of her friends seemed to care.

And even more to her surprise: Leorio jumped first! This was absolutely, positively insane! It was even crazier that the biggest coward of their group plunged to his death first. As she gawked at his audacity, Killua simply walked over the edge, followed by Gon diving down headfirst. But it was when Kurapika waved and jumped down backwards that she lost it.

The situation was so insane that it drove her completely out of her mind, and she suddenly wished there was a window nearby so she could defenestrate the next person she saw. Yes, she found the situation that mind boggling.

"You all have a death wish!" she shouted as more people began to jump. Then, she whipped her head around towards the examiner. "Menchi, what if the eagles catch us?"

"They'll attack you, of course," Menchi said matter-of-factly. "But they usually aren't around this time of day, so don't worry about it."

Facing the cliff, Genesis squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. Obviously the examiner didn't know her luck with animals. Looking down towards the bottom of the cliff, Genesis felt herself getting queasy. No way was she going to jump like the rest of them. All that was there for them to land on were the webs that held the eggs, and she wasn't quite coordinated enough to stick the landing AND keep her balance. So, it would seem she would be doing this the hard way.

* * *

"Stupid examiner, telling us to jump off a cliff. Stupid friends, jumping off the cliff like insane acrobats! This is not a circus, and we are not clowns," Genesis mumbled as she looked down for another rock to put her foot on. After saying that, a chill ran up her spine. One of them was a clown alright, just not one she wanted to be acquainted with.

Not wanting to risk what would come from jumping, she had decided to climb down instead. She was probably about halfway down by that point when she heard a screeching sound. Looking up, she saw something flying down into the canyon. Wait . . . those weren't just _something._ Those were . . ._ spider eagles!_

Knowing that one of them would likely be diving towards her in a few seconds, Genesis scurried down the cliff best she could, watching for any and every rock that she could possibly use to continue her way down. But it was when the squawking sounded right in her ear and she felt the pecking on her hand that she lost her grip.

Her hand fell from the rock, cradled to her chest to keep the bird's beak away from it. But with only one hand to hold her up, her right foot couldn't reach down to the next rock and she lost her grip. Now both of her feet were without solid footing, and she didn't have the strength to hold her body up with just her left hand. Feeling her muscles start to pull in an agonizing way, Genesis instinctively released her hand from the rock, realizing a moment too late that meant she would fall. So, she closed her eyes and fell.

The landing was harsh and painful, and she was sure something was broken (but she was in too much pain in too many places to be exactly certain where). There was something missing, though. Below the cliff was a fast stream of water. Now, she'd never fallen into a river before, but she was pretty certain falling into it would mean she would be soaked, choking on water, and being carried up stream: none of which were happening.

She opened her eyes and looked and, indeed, she hadn't landed in the water. However, she had managed to land on a stone that jutted out from the cliff, but her relief was short lived as the pain reminded her of her predicament.

"Go-on!" she shouted, her voice cracking and giving out halfway through. Both of her arms were pressed against the stone, and even without looking she could feel where the skin had been scratched off. One of her legs was twisted under her, and when she uncurled it and tried to set it firmly so she could stand, there was too much pain for her to even put an ounce of pressure on it. "Gon!" she called again, tears brimming in her eyes.

It wasn't long before the spiky haired, wide-eyed twin made an appearance to his sister, hearing her calling from above on the web, and started jumping down. He barely had any room to stand on the small ledge, but he was able to crouch down in front of his sister, looking genuinely scared for the first time since the exam started.

"Gon, what's going on down there?" she heard Leorio shout from the top of the cliff.

Ignoring him, Gon lifted up one of Genesis' arms and frowned. "We need Leorio to look at you," he said, and then turned around. "Get on, Gen."

"What?" she asked, shaking from the pain she felt when Gon touched her arm. "No way! We're the same size, how are you going to carry me?"

"Just get on, Gen!" he shouted, the harshness to his tone shocking her.

Shakily, she pushed herself onto her knees and managed to wrap her stinging arms around Gon's neck. When he stood up, she lifted her legs a bit so they wouldn't drag the ground and found that the pain in her right leg was continuing on without contact.

"Hold on tight, Gen," Gon said and swung his fishing rod back, watching it hook around one of the web's above them.

They were flying an instant later (or they might as well have been, according to Genesis), and before Genesis even had a chance to open her eyes they were back at the top of the cliff, and Gon was setting her smoothly down on the ground. Kurapika and Leorio gathered around her, along with Chairman Netero and a lagging Menchi. All of them asked repeatedly if she was alright (and though by the obvious injuries to her arms and legs, she wasn't), and she told them that she was.

"And I thought you said the eagles weren't around this time of day?" Genesis shouted to Menchi, throwing her hands up in the air.

"What did you expect?" Menchi replied. "You were messing with their eggs. They were bound to come after you."

Genesis just sighed and pouted again.

"There's just one more problem," she said, looking down in defeat. "I wasn't able to get one of the eggs."

"Sure you were," a voice said, approaching the group.

Before Genesis had a chance to assess the voice, something flew towards her, and she held her hands out. A speckled egg landed in her hands, and she looked up, seeing Killua standing nonchalantly just behind the group. She held back a smile and moved to stand, but was soon reminded that she was unable to do so at the time.

As it came time for the applicants to boil their eggs, it was Leorio who offered to carry Genesis. She was embarrassed to say the least, but she managed to convince him to let her sit on her knees while they boiled the eggs. Once the eggs were boiled and everyone was asked to try them, Genesis found that despite the fact that she was eating the egg of a creature that tried to kill her, it was actually good. And when they were all done and full, it was time to know who had passed the second phase.

"Listen up! For the second phase . . . forty two pass!"

Everyone was hollering and cheering and congratulating each other, but Genesis just sat there with her head down. At least, until Menchi walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I hate to say it, but you did good, kid," she said. "That speech you gave back there shows that you're more than just some little brat. You've got a lot of spunk when you need it. Good luck."

Genesis tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows. "So . . . I pass?"

Menchi smiled. "You pass."

With the examiner walking away, Genesis found herself excited beyond belief (the first moment that she wasn't even paying attention to the pain in her arms that was slowly fading away) and quickly, yet sloppily, stood up (with all the weight on her left leg of course) and wrapped her arms around her brother, who looked genuinely surprised.

Before he had a chance to respond, she squealed and hugged Kurapika, who just smiled warmly at her and patted her back. "Good job, Genesis."

She even hugged Leorio (which was an even harder feat due to the fact that he was quite a tall man), but quickly let go because of his whining.

The awkward part was when she went to hug Killua, which was an even shorter lasting hug than with Leorio, as both of them turned red in the face and realized what they were doing.

"I was just excited," Genesis said. "I still think you're a jerk, Skateboard boy."

"Yeah, and you're still a boy in disguise!" he replied, sticking out his tongue.

The rest of the group broke out in laughter, to which Genesis just flushed more from her spot on the ground (where she had landed due to losing her balance).

Despite her embarrassment though, she was glad to admit that she was happy.

_Forty-two of us passed the second phase._

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Thank you for reading chapter 8! I would appreciate a review if you could find the time! Wow, and I just realized that Genesis gets hurt a lot. Maybe the third phase will be a little less . . . dangerous for her. But before the third phase, we have the blimp ride, and that's where I'll be seeing you guys next! So, toodles for now! BTW, for everyone who's been reading and/or reviewing Hall of Fame, you are all amazing and I am very grateful! Thank you! ~Red-chan_


	9. Part 1: Stress X Twins X Zoldyck?

**Author's Note: **_Hey guys! Welcome to Chapter 9 of HoF! A little note for this, I did a little experimentation and was kind of switching out between calling Genesis "Gen" and "Genesis" so if it's too confusing for you, let me know and I'll just stick to one from now on!_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Hunter X Hunter. I do not own any canon characters. I do own Genesis._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 9_

_Stress X Twins X Zoldyck?_

* * *

"Free time? Like, time to have fun? And take naps? And take a bath? And . . . and . . . and eat? And . . . relax?" It was easy to tell that they delay to the next phase was startling to Genesis. Not only did she pass the second phase, but now she was able to take some time to regain her energy before she was tossed back into the exam.

"Or explore!" Gon said, his big, brown eyes wide with excitement. "You wanna explore the airship, Killua?"

The silver haired kid shrugged his shoulders with his hands behind his head, a bored expression on his face. "Sure, why not?"

Gon rushed over to the wall to set his bag down, eagerly asking Kurapika and Leorio to join them, but both were too exhausted to take on such an adventure. With a pout, Gon turned to his sister, and as he opened his mouth to take in a deep breath to speak, another voice stopped him.

"Don't even think about it, Gon," Kurapika said, his eyes closed and his head inclined down. "Your sister has suffered a great deal of injuries, and it is high time that she took some time to recuperate."

Genesis spun to face Kurapika from her place between him and Leorio, her face turning into a disbelieving frown. "But Kurapika-"

"Genesis." He opened his eyes momentarily to look at her. "You can barely walk on your own. You need to rest here and let Leorio take a look at you."

The thought of Leorio examining her made Gen's cheeks flush and her nose crinkle. But he was right: her foot was killing her, and there was no way she could keep up with the two energetic boys. So, she just sighed and leaned her back against the wall, tilting her head so she was looking at the ceiling.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she said to Kurapika. "Go ahead you two. Have fun bouncing around this flying bubble of air!"

Gleefully, Gon rushed off with Killua, leaving his sister sandwiched between their two older friends. Genesis turned her head towards Leorio and pushed out her bottom lip.

"Do I have to be examined? I just twisted my ankle. It's no big deal."

Leorio grumbled and open his eyes, having been quickly drifting off to sleep before Genesis spoke to him. "No, No, Kurapika's right. You got hurt pretty bad back there. Come here."

Genesis squirmed but scooted closer to Leorio, her legs crossed with her hands in her lap. He raised his brow and pointed to her injured leg to which she reluctantly stretched it out. As Leorio poked and prodded her leg, Genesis glared and even yelped on occasion.

"Ow! It's twisted, not numb you dunce! I can still feel it!" she cried out, groaning and falling back against the ground, her head landing on one of Kurapika's legs. "Sorry." But she made no attempt to get back up.

"I'm just trying to make sure nothing is broken," Leorio said, finally ceasing his actions against Gen's leg. "And it's not. If you let it rest for a couple of hours, then you should be able to walk on it without too much pain. But it'll take a few days for the swelling to go down, and it's probably going to hurt for the remainder of the exam."

That didn't sound the least bit reassuring. She could handle pain. If she couldn't she wouldn't have made it this far in the exam. But being in constant pain while trying to accomplish something wasn't her forte. She could keep her mind off the pain enough to operate, but operating at top notch wasn't going to happen.

"Gen," Leorio said after a moment of silence. "I want to ask you about your previous health conditions."

Genesis sat up at the comment, recalling her leg and gently crossing it over her other one again.

"I've never had a problem before," she said, crossing her arms. "Well . . . except for that time when I was six . . ."

"What happened?"

"It was nothing!" Gen said, shaking her head. "I just got really dizzy one day while running. Gon and I were playing a game of tag around the house. I probably just overexerted myself, but my vision got fuzzy and . . . I ended up running into the wall." Her face flushed. "That's gonna be a story I'm never gonna hear the end of."

Leorio let out a small chuckle before turning serious again. "So you weren't always like this? Getting dizzy? Getting hurt? Passing out when you get excited?"

Genesis shook her head. "Nope. Just since I met you guys!" she said, deadpanning. "Maybe you guys are bad luck!"

"Or maybe that bump on the head back at the bus did more damage than I initially thought," Leorio said, but ended up just brushing the idea off. "You seem fine for now. We all need to get some rest, especially you, Genesis."

Gen was more than happy to comply by this point, bored beyond belief by all the medical talk. So, she tiredly stretched her arms above her head and kicked her feet out, deciding to return to her previous position of her legs across Leorio and her head on Kurapika's lap. She gave him a sheepish smile, but he just shook his head and closed his eyes, so she did the same.

* * *

"Kurapika, aren't you tired?" Genesis asked after a couple of hours had passed by.

By this point, neither she nor Leorio were in the same positions they were in when they had fallen asleep. Leorio had fallen onto his side with his arms outstretched, snoring quietly enough that it wasn't too much of a disturbance to the others. Over the course of the three hours in which they slept, Genesis had ended up basically entirely in Kurapika's lap, waking up to find her head leaning against his chest (and she suddenly hoped she hadn't drooled in her sleep!)

She wiped the crust out of her eyes with one hand, using her other to pick up the hat that had fallen off of her head during sleep and placed it back on, pulling it down to hide the red in her cheeks that arose from the situation she had woken up to.

"I've been resting," he said matter-of-factly and a little bit defensively.

Gen yawned and shook her head, still rubbing her eyes. "But you haven't slept," she said, yawning again. "Wasn't it you who said something about the first phase being mentally exhausting? You need to sleep too!"

Kurapika smiled at her and put a hand gently on her head, making her cheeks turn even more red. "Thank you for worrying, Gen, but really, I'm fine. Sleep isn't always so easy to come by," he said. "Especially so when I have a twelve year old cuddling up to me."

Gen's face began to feel especially hot by this point, and she would have moved to a different position if the one she was in hadn't felt so warm and welcoming. If it wasn't for the way her eyes were drooping and the way Kurapika's arm fell from her head to her shoulders as she began to lean against him again, she would have scooted away in embarrassment. But she was much too comfortable, much too tired, and her heart was beating much too fast for her to think of anything other than to stay there and sleep. And when her ears picked up the sound of Kurapika's heart beating, there was no chance for her. She was out like a light.

* * *

When Gen woke up generally an hour later, the first sound she heard was the gentle, somber breathing of Kurapika. Glancing around the edge of her hat, she saw that his eyes were closed, and he seemed to have finally fallen asleep. She sighed in relief, but a sudden itch ran up her spine, making her very uncomfortable and fidgety. As to not wake Kurapika, Gen carefully slid out of his lap, wincing as her bad foot made contact with the floor a little too roughly.

She tried to sit in between her two sleeping friends, but her restlessness wasn't making that very possible. After a few more minutes of agitated fidgeting, Genesis leaned against the wall and pushed herself to her feet, cringing slightly at her foot. Her arms were covered in bandages, thanks to Leorio, and her injured leg was still wrapped up from the latter half of the first phase. She looked like a truck ran over her, but she was grateful that she felt a lot better than she looked.

Leorio had been right about her needing rest, as now she was able to relatively walk on her foot as long as she was careful not to put too much weight on it, and if she could stand a little bit of pain.

Genesis decided that the best way to brush off her anxiety was to roam around the ship, and if she was lucky, she'd run into Gon. Her walking was slow at first, trying to adjust to the pressure she was having to exert on her other leg to compensate for her weakened one. Eventually, she managed to make it to a hallway where she could run her hand along the wall that helped her steady herself.

As she neared the end of the hallway, which curved into a turn, two voices filtered into her ears. It wasn't until she reached the edge of the wall that she recognized them and stopped in her tracks before she could be seen.

"I guess you're right. I never thought about what it actually means to capture my own dad." That was Killua, she was certain of it.

And where there was a Killua, there was bound to be a Gon.

"You can do it! I know you can!" Yup. That was Gon alright, giving advice to his friend to capture his fathe-wait, what? Killua wanted to capture his father?

"That's easy for you to say! You don't know anything at all about my dad!"

"True, but I know you. And he's your dad. So I sort of feel like I know him."

Genesis smacked her palm against her forehead and sighed. That definitely sounded like something Gon would say. When it came to his intuition, he didn't second guess himself.

"Gon will be Gon, I guess," she muttered, shaking her head and pushing her shoulder harder against the wall.

"Whatever," she heard Killua say, and a pair of feet scuffled across the floor. "Let's go find the cafeteria."

"Alright!" Gon said, hopping up so his feet were now on the ground. "Hey Gen! You wanna come get some food with us?"

Genesis tensed and felt an irritated pulsation coming from her head. Nothing got past her brother. Pushing off the wall to give herself a little leverage, she walked around the corner into the other two kid's line of sight, giving them a two-fingered wave, stopping a few feet in front of them with her hands on her hips.

"How in the hell do you always know when I'm around?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and raising her eyebrow.

Gon just shrugged and grinned. "Maybe it's a twin thing!"

But Gen wasn't buying it.

"If it was a twin thing, don't you think I'd be able to know when you're around too, doofus?"

. . .

. . .

. . .

". . . Maybe it's just a Gon thing?"

Genesis looked over at Killua who just shrugged his shoulders and put his hands behind his head. "Can we go now?"

Genesis let a soft giggle pass through her lips before nodding. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's get going, doofus, skateboard!" she said and started to walk past them.

"Skateboard?" Killua asked, but she heard their footsteps following behind her. "Did you shorten my nickname?"

"Yup!" she replied. "Putting 'boy' at the end of your name was pretty redundant. It's easy to tell you're a boy."

A smirk pulled onto Killua's face as he said in response, "Unlike you?"

A vein popped in the twelve-year-old girl's head, and she spun around abruptly and bonked the silver haired kid on the head.

"ONE OF THESE DAYS, KILLUA!"

* * *

"They should have let me make this tea," Genesis said, wrinkling her nose. "This stuff is awful."

"It's not that bad," Gon said.

His twin just shook her head and pushed her cup up the table. "You'd drink lizard pee and think it's good."

"I would not!" he defended. "That's gross!"

Killua's laugh broke the two out of their argument, causing both of them to look at him with surprise. "I've never seen two siblings quarrel like this before!" he said, clutching his stomach.

Genesis blinked in confusion and tilted her head. "Don't you argue with your siblings?" she asked. "Isn't it normal for siblings to pick on each other?"

"I guess," he replied, finally managing to calm now. "But we don't argue like you two. This," he motioned to the twins with his hand, "is hilarious."

As Genesis crossed her arms in protest, Gon just smiled, and someone walked in front of their table, stopping. "Would you mind if I sat here?"

Genesis looked up at the girl who had pigtailed black hair and was giving off a weird vibe. However, she thought nothing of it and just shrugged.

"It's fine by me. But I'm in the middle, so you'll have to clear it with one of them so they can move and let you in," Genesis said.

Surely enough, Gon had been polite and stood to let the other girl scoot in, who soon introduced herself to go by the name of Anita.

"It's nice to meet you!" Gon said. "My name is Gon! That's my friend, Killua! And she's my sister, G-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Genesis said, sending a glare towards her brother who quickly shut his mouth. She turned towards Anita and reached out her hand. "I'm Genesis."

With eyes that quickly roamed over to Killua and then back to Genesis, Anita accepted her hand. "Nice to meet you."

After that, things became silent between the group, making both Gon and Genesis uncomfortable. Killua and Anita, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed by it.

"So, Anita," Gon said to break the silence, which earned him a grateful look from his sister. "Why are you taking the Hunter Exam?"

Anita smiled and placed her hands in her lap. "I want to be Blacklist Hunter," she said.

"Really? Do you know who you want to capture?" Gon asked, leaning forward against the table.

She nodded, and Genesis leaned back and scooted closer to Killua, knowing this was going to be a story and her leg needed to be propped up.

"I want revenge against those who killed my father," Anita said. "He was a businessman who dealt mostly in the international spice trade."

Genesis saw Killua make a minor reaction to her statement, not enough for most people to notice, but she was too close to him _not_ to notice.

"He was building a fleet of ships that would bring spices from mines deep in the mountains to people across the world. He was very successful, having enough money to buy a small country," she went on. "But someone got jealous and hired a professional assassin to kill him-"

"An assassin?" Genesis asked, not even bothered by her interruption. "That's horrible! How could you kill someone for money? I'm sorry about your father. Do you have any idea who it might have been?"

Anita nodded. "I knew it without a doubt. My father's killer had to be a Zoldyck."

"A Zoldyck? I've never heard of them," Genesis said.

"They're a family of assassins. One of the best," Anita explained, and Genesis just clenched her fist and shook her head.

"An entire family making money from killing people's loved ones? That's despicable!"

"Gen!" Gon shouted, and she shrunk back, not used to being yelled at by her brother.

The entire group went silent at this point, with Gen pushed so far back into her seat that her right shoulder was pressing against Killua's back. She didn't like the look Gon had given her, nor was she too comfortable with the tone he had taken with her.

And then all the seriousness in the room melted away at the presence of Leorio making a move on Anita. It took Genesis by surprise to suddenly see Leorio standing behind their booth, and even more shocking when Kurapika soon appeared in front of them. She really needed less sneaky friends.

"There's no point in all of you hanging around here," Killua said. "It's me that she wants."

What? She was after Killua? That was insane. Killua would never kill somebody. He may have been an annoying skateboarder, but he was no murderer.

"You must have him mixed up with someone else," Genesis said. "Killua is annoying as hell, but he's twelve, he hasn't killed anyone."

It was then that Killua turned around and gave Genesis an astonished look, seemingly completely shocked at her statement. Anita, however, seemed to only fume more at the younger girl's outburst, and before she knew it, Anita had lunged forward with a knife towards Killua. Their silver-haired companion was fast, so she missed by a long shot, but the blade stuck into the side of their booth, a mere two inches from Gen's cheek.

The fight seemed to go on as Genesis shrunk into her seat, shaking from the sight. That girl had almost cut her with a knife . . .

* * *

Genesis sniffled as she wiped at her eyes, now resting on her brother's back as he carried her down the hall, insisting that her leg needed more rest when she shook as she tried to walk. The girl, Anita (whose attack she was still recovering from) had been taken away by Chairman Netero, claiming that she had failed the previous exam and was no longer supposed to be in the exam.

Now, her and Gon were walking down the familiar hallway back towards where they had been before, in hopes of finding Killua, who had walked away from the group earlier on.

When they did find him, they remained very silent, just staring at their reflections in the glass window.

"Don't you guys know that I'm not the type of person you should be hanging around with? I make a lot of enemies," Killua said, breaking their silence.

"So?" Gen asked. "Doesn't everyone? We all make enemies. Well . . . minus Gon."

Killua growled, obviously not seeing the humor in her statement. "You don't get it!"

"Well, we're trying!" Gen shouted in aggravation. "You know, our Aunt Mito used to tell us that if we really want to get to know someone, we should learn what makes them angry. We're trying to understand you, Killua. And you're not helping us!"

Killua's hands clenched at his side, and his head turned down so she could no longer see the reflection of his face. "You should leave now. I want to be by myself."

Genesis felt her temper quickly rising again. "Killua-"

"Just leave me alone!"

Gon frowned. "We just wanna help, Killu-"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" When he shouted this time, Genesis saw him begin to turn around and lash his arm out, and she gripped tightly to her brother's shoulders and squeezed her eyes shut.

There was a quick moment of silence, and Genesis slowly opened her eyes, seeing Killua with his back against the bench, giving them the same look that he had given Genesis back at the cafeteria. He sighed and shook his head, turning around to face the window again.

"Tch. Fine. Stay," he said, leaning his arms against the bench. "What's up with you anyway, Genesis? Gon didn't even flinch when I attacked you, and you looked terrified?"

"That's because she worries enough for the both of us," Gon said softly, making Gen's cheeks turn pink.

"Shut up, doofus!" she said, smacking him on the head. "I'm only protecting you because you won't do it yourself! Now put me down!"

Gon smiled and gently lifted his sister up and sat her down on the bench beside Killua, who only glanced up at her.

"I don't worry because I don't have to," Gon said. "Not when I have you looking out for me!" Genesis was ready to hit her brother again when he grinned and stepped back. "That reminds me! Kurapika told me to make sure and keep you hydrated. I'll go get you some juice!" And then he was gone.

More silence played on, and Genesis began to find that it was growing more and more on her nerves, so she began to kick her feet, listening to them knocking against the bench.

"Your brother seems quite capable of taking care of himself to me," Killua said, putting a hand on one of her legs to get her to stop kicking. "I don't see why you're so insistent on taking care of him."

Genesis stopped her kicking and looked down at Killua. " . . . If I don't, who will?"

At her response, Killua sighed. There was just no getting through to her.

Once more silence began to consume them, Genesis began to think. What if Anita hadn't gotten it wrong? What if Killua was a member of the family that killed her father? She didn't really believe that to be true, but if that was the case, then what would she be able to do about it?

"Killua?" she said quietly, staring off at nothing in particular. "Was Anita right? Was it you who killed her father?"

He didn't answer her for a few minutes, but eventually sighed and looked up at her with a lazy expression. "Does it matter?" he asked.

She looked down at him with a determined look in her eyes. "Yes. Because I need to know," she said, beginning to kick her legs again, much to Killua's annoyance. "My purpose in this exam is to protect Gon."

"So?" Killua asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Genesis looked away from him again, bringing her legs up onto the bench beside her and laying her head down, facing the window.

"I have to protect Gon," she said, and then looked at Killua with the corner of her eyes. "Even if that means protecting him from his own friends."

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Thank you all for reading this chapter! And thank you to all of those who reviewed! It makes me really happy to get a review, whether it just be to say you liked or disliked the chapter (though a reason would be nice) or if you found something that needed to be corrected. You are all amazing, and I appreciate you taking the time to read my work! I'll see you guys in the third phase! ~Red-chan_


	10. Part 1: Majority X Rules X Gen Fights!

**Author's Note: **_Bonjour les amis! After a loooooong interlude between chapters, Chapter 10, the beginning of the 3rd phase, has finally commenced. I apologize for the delay; school is demanding; personal life is demanding; and my writing just hasn't been demanding enough. But here is this chapter, and I rather like it. So, I hope you will as well._

_And I apologize for any grammatical or randomly messed up errors. I look over it multiple times, but even I miss things here and there. I hope whatever is there isn't too jarring. But if it's a mistake that bugs you, feel free to let me know, or if it's a mistake I make rather commonly._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own HxH or any canon characters. I own Genesis and some future plot elements._

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 10_

_Majority X Rules X Gen Fights?!_

* * *

Genesis stood atop of the newly announced third phase site: Trick Tower, standing beside her brother as Chairman Netero's sidekick explained the rules to them. According to him, the applicants' only job was to make it to the bottom of Trick Tower alive within seventy-two hours, something that didn't seem very difficult to her. As the examiner's blimp flew away, the group began to investigate their third phase site, noticing a distinct lack of windows or doors . . . or really anything else that could lead into the tower.

Someone had the bright idea to try climbing down the side of the tower. Needless to say, they were attacked. Well, that was one more person not becoming at Hunter this year.

By now, the group had split to search the tower for an entrance. If they couldn't go down and there were no windows or doors then there had to be some kind of . . . trapped doors or hidden entrances up top. But so far, none of them were having any luck finding one.

Until Gen stumbled upon someone mysteriously vanishing.

Once he was gone, she studied the spot he had been carefully. She could tell which of the tiles he had fallen through. It wasn't very hard considering it kind of now looked a bit out of place (in her mind anyway). Curiously, she worked her fingers in between that tile and one of the neighboring ones, eventually managing to lift it enough for her to see that there were now metal bars that stopped anyone else from sliding down.

Great. That didn't do them any good.

"Leorio! Kurapika! Gen!"

She immediately dropped the stone, nearly crushing her fingers in the process, and stood to face where her brother's voice was coming from. It wasn't too long before she spotted him standing beside Killua and pointing to one of the tiles. He must have found a door.

When she got over to them, Leorio was bent down about to lift up the tile.

"Wait, Leorio! Don't do th-" But he already had . . . and the metal bars locked in place. "Oh you idiot! I was trying to tell you that would happen!"

"It'll be alright," Gon said, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I've already found six other entrances. We can all get down!"

Gen found her brother's words a little more comforting and nodded. "Right. So point 'em out! Everyone just picks one I guess."

It wasn't that hard to figure out that she had picked the one closest to the one Gon had picked.

"It's very likely," Kurapika said, "that all of these trap doors lead to a different route in the tower. It's best that we say our goodbyes here; we might not all meet again at the bottom."

For the first time, Genesis found herself glaring at the older blond, her arms crossed over her chest. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from her friends, much less have the thought put into her mind that they might not see everyone again. If they were to go in different directions now, there was no way to guarantee that they'd all pass. It'd be left up to fate and their own abilities.

And Gen wasn't sure either of those factors were on her side.

"This is exciting! Isn't it, Gen?"

No.

Kurapika started their countdown, but Gen felt the pulsations from her heart spreading across her body and quickly lifted up her tile and slid down. Instantly, she was surrounded by utter darkness, and for a moment she felt a moment of peace. And then she heard some clattering and the lights came on.

. . .

"You cannot be serious," Gen said, dusting herself off as she stood.

To her left was Killua. To her right was Gon. Across from them were Kurapika and Leorio. Gon and Killua just laughed it off while Leorio and Kurapika just shot their heads. However, Gen just scowled and walked away from the group, secretly smiling that they didn't have to separate. Across the room she saw some kind of metal cylinder, and while the others were taking a moment to converse, she walked over to it and slid her fingers across the surface, lifting up one of the bracelet-type items that sat atop the cylinder.

As she held it around her wrist it snapped closed, and she shrieked, shaking her hand. "Hey now! Get off me!"

There was a sound of feet running towards her, and then she saw Gon beside her and Kurapika in front of her, seeming to be peering at the objects she had been fondling.

"The path of majority rules," Kurapika said, reading a sign that was placed just above the objects. "To get to the bottom, all five of you must vote to overcome the challenges you encounter, and on this route majority rules."

Genesis stopped shaking her arm and pulled it closer, looking intently at what was now wrapped around her left wrist. It did look a lot like a bracelet made of metal. On its front was what looked like a digital clock with the numbers seventy-one: nineteen: ten showing on it. Below the numbers were two buttons: one with an 'x' and one with an 'o'.

As each person in the group took a bracelet and snapped it onto their arms, a foreign voice filled the room.

"Welcome to the path of Majority Rules! There are many paths that lead to the bottom of this tower, and it just so happens that you five have landed in one of the . . . tougher ones. Good luck!"

Genesis felt a vein popping in her head. That was it? All that voice did was tell them stuff that they had already figured out! And then a 'good luck!' That was ridiculous!

As the group began to show slight signs of confusion that turned into understanding, a passage from the wall behind them opened. A voice boomed above their heads again, telling them to pick 'O' to open the door or 'X' to not. Taking a deep breath and deciding being sour about the whole situation wouldn't do them any good, Genesis smiled and put her hands on her hips.

"No point standing around waiting!" she shouted, hitting the 'O' button on her device. "Might as well get started down the path!"

"Wait a sec," Leorio said, gaping at the younger girl, even though everyone had already pressed their buttons and the door was opening. "Weren't you the one freaking out and mopping just a few minutes ago? Since when are you in charge?"

A thoughtful expression crossed her face, and she pursed her lips. "Well," she started and then shrugged her shoulders. "Since you all started being slow and wasting our time. We have seventy-one hours. Let's get moving!" She stuck her tongue out at him and stepped forward, making their other friends laugh as Leorio just fumed, following behind.

* * *

Alright, so the choices they had to make were pretty stupid and simplistic.

Go left or right?

Most of them picked right.

. . .

Except for Leorio and Gen . . . who both picked left.

_Oh that's stupid! I only picked left because I argued with Gon about it! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I convinced him to pick right, and he convinced me to pick left! And that made ME side with LEORIO. Oh, how stupid!_

* * *

"That's a _REALLY _long way down!" Gen said, looking carefully over the edge of the platform they had come to.

After a few more random choices between the group, they had come to an opening that lead into a room. From where they stood, there was a platform that held them, still connected to the hallway they had come from. Below them was a vast, dark space that made Gen a tad bit nervous. Across from them was an even bigger platform, one she wasn't sure how they were supposed to reach. And even farther out was another one . . . and that one seemed to hold more people on it.

"Wow you're right." She nearly jumped at the voice of her silver haired 'friend'. "I wonder how far it is to the bottom . . ."

Genesis felt a hand on her back and squealed, almost losing her balance and falling off the edge. Her foot slipped, but a pair of hands caught her under her arms before she fell.

"Oh geeze," Killua huffed, pulling her up and setting her on the edge of the platform. "I wasn't going to push you, it was just a joke! If I had known you were gonna freak I wouldn't have touched you!"

"I wish you wouldn't!" she shouted, her face red from the scare.

Killua rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, and Gen watched him from the corner of her eyes as she huffed some hair away from them, standing and turning to face their opposing platform. Oddly enough, and she had to squint her eyes to be sure, but there _were_ people on the other side. **People.** Covered in **sheets**. That was just . . . no. Red flags went up in her head.

"Um, Gon," she said, walking over to her brother and tugging on his arm. "That doesn't look promising."

As her hand tightened around the fabric of his sleeve, one of the figures on the other side stepped forward, his sheet falling to the ground. Now they could see a bald, well built man (understatement of the century), who seemed a little too happy to see them.

"We've been enlisted to be part of the applicant testing process." The man's voice was loud, echoing throughout the room, making Genesis shudder. "Right here, the five of you will fight against the five of us."

Her knuckles must have been white by this point. They were going to have to fight. No one ever told her there would be fighting. What if someone got hurt? What if she got hurt? What if Gon-?

Genesis felt a hand on top of hers and cast her eyes to her brother, who gave her a warm, comforting smile.

"All of the matches are one on one. You may fight once and only once. Everyone must fight."

And all of the comfort from her brother disappeared. She did not like this idea one bit.

"Since this is the path of majority rules, you have to win at least three out of five."

That meant her and Leorio would probably be the only two who could fail. Let's face it; fighting was not their strong points.

"To be declared the winner, your opponent must admit defeat. There will be no draws."

That was slightly problematic. Gon never admitted defeat . . . ever.

"If you accept this challenge, press 'O'. If not press 'X'."

Four O's. One 'X'. All eyes turned to the orange clad girl, who just sent her eyes to her feet. She didn't want to do this. Not at all. She had a very bad feeling about it.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, I'll be taking the first fight. Who thinks they can beat me?"

The group held a moment of silence as they looked amongst themselves. Their opponent was a big man, and that seemed to make everyone think twice about the battle they were about to indulge in. Genesis was positive that she didn't have a chance in the world at beating this man. Afterall, she wasn't much of a fighter. On that stance, her and Gon were probably on the same level, though he was naturally stronger than her. Unless she had something to sling, there wasn't much she could do aside from dodging. That she was good at.

"I'll do it," Gon said, stepping forward and giving an innocent smile to his friends.

_Oh no you won't,_ Gen thought and smacked her brother on the back of the head.

"Ow, Gen! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"For even thinking about doing something so reckless!" she shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "Isn't it obvious that you're no match for him?"

"I agree," Kurapika said, and Gon looked down at his feet. "I think I should be the one to fight him."

Genesis froze, a little squeal coming out of her mouth. She knew Kurapika was probably more capable than Gon when it came to fighting, but then again, she had never seen him fight before. Even though the thought of Kurapika fighting instead of Gon was much more pleasant, the idea made her heart race and a string of anxiety start tingling throughout her body.

"N-no," she said, shaking her head. "That's not a good idea either."

Everyone gave her an incredulous look, except for Killua, who just sighed and crossed his arms.

"It doesn't matter who says they're going to fight; she'll object to it. She's the one who voted 'no' in the first place," Killua said, giving her a lazy glare, one that wasn't as piercing as some she had received by him.

She opened her mouth to protest, to say that she wouldn't object to him fighting in their place, but Leorio's voice cut her off.

"Then that would only leave us with the option of sending _her_. And I'm sure none of us thinks that's a good id-"

"I'll do it," she cut in loudly, her face red and her shoulders tense. The thought of fighting against that man scared the living daylights out of her, in all honesty, but letting her brother or Kurapika fight him instead actually scared her even more.

Gon looked at her in disbelief. "But Gen-"

"I'll do it!" she repeated, stepping forward to the front of the group. "We're ready, I'm fighting!"

The man on the other side seemed a little surprised that the little girl was the one to step up to the plate, but nevertheless accepted it as the bridges between the smaller platforms and the big one stretched out. Nerves seemed to lock Genesis' knees up, but she managed to push her legs forward, ignoring the protests from her brother. Gon was usually very calm and supportive, but watching his sister go out into a fight seemed to unnerve him a little.

Standing face to face with the man seemed to make Genesis second guess herself. He was definitely a lot bigger than her, more-so than she originally thought, and he didn't look like he'd be going easy on her just because she was a child.

"Are you sure about this, little girl? I only fight one way, and that's until one of us dies or admits defeat."

Something told her that he didn't like the option of giving up, and that his first move would probably be to make it to where she couldn't give up. She never even thought that the Hunter Exam would be anything like this; something dangerous and deadly.

"Dammit, I was afraid he'd say that," Leorio said, the entire group watching with shocked faces.

"We can't let her do it!" Gon shouted. "C'mon. Let me switch places with her! Please, she's my sister!"

Gen's heart tightened inside her chest. Suddenly, she felt bad for ever thinking that Gon didn't care as much about her as she thought. The strain, the panic in her brother's voice made her want to turn around and run back. But even though she knew it would hurt him to watch this fight, it would be even worse for him to fight instead.

"Shut up!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "You're not the only one who can do dangerous and stupid stunts! Let me take this one for once!"

None of them seemed to know what to say after that.

"I accept," she said, pushing her shoulders back, trying to look a little bit stronger than she was.

"You're a brave child," he said, stepping forward. "I respect that. But I won't be cutting you any slack, even if you are a little girl."

Then, he lunged at her, and everything around her seemed to freeze. The only thing that registered to her was her name, a cry from her brother, and it shocked her into reality, giving her a split second to flatten herself to the ground and crawl underneath her opponent's legs. The room remained silent for a moment before she turned to see the man looking at her now. She had evaded one attack, thanks to her petite size, but she would have to dodge many more until she gave up. But she didn't want to give up. She didn't want to be dead weight anymore. She didn't want to be the reason they lost the Hunter Exam.

She scrambled around the floor, looking for any loose stones that she could put in her slingshot, but her hands shook and made it hard for her to keep a hold of anything. Hearing a laugh from behind her, she knew the man was going to attack her again. So, she quickly scrambled to her feet, but by that time he was already behind her.

"Gyak!" she shouted as she was raised off the ground, a hand gripped firmly around her neck.

She felt her airway quickly constrict and panic rose in her. Her hands tried to pry away the one holding her, and her legs thrashed, trying anything and everything to get him to release her. Gon's voice was only faint now, as her hearing began to dwindle, filled with the panicked thoughts that battled in her head. Spots quickly filled her vision as his hand tightened, and her eyes fought to stay open.

And then air was filling her lungs, but she was flying through the air. She landed hard with her back against the platform, skidding almost over the edge. Pain rippled through her body, and she leaned her head back, noticing the distinct lack of ground beneath it, and her hat that fell over the edge. She struggled to catch her breath, feeling for her elbows to prop herself up. Somehow, she caught a glimpse of her friend's faces, and the pained looks she received brought forth her former fire.

She wouldn't lose this match. For Leorio, who refused to give up, even when it seemed like he could never win. For Kurapika, whose passion and determination fueled him on. For her brother, Gon, who never seemed to see the danger in life, pushing through it no matter what. And even for Killua, whose reason for being here she couldn't understand, but whose friendship seemed to mean a lot to Gon.

So when the man came at her again, she pushed as hard as she could to propel herself off the ground, just far enough to get her above his head. The shock from her sudden move lasted only a second, but it gave her enough time to land on top of his shoulders, wrapping her arms around the bald man's eyes.

"Nice move little lady," he said with a laugh. "But one wrong step and we both fall over the edge."

She should have let go right then and there; that was what Gon shouted to her. But another idea was forming in her head. Quickly, she reached into her boot for her slingshot, pulling it back as she leaned herself back as well, releasing it to hit the man's neck with the sling. He fell forward a little and shouted in discomfort, and Genesis jumped from the man's shoulders and quickly ran to the other side of the platform.

He turned around to face her, a dangerous look on his face, and all hope of winning left her body.

"Gen, just give up!"

She glanced back to see her brother, being restrained by Leorio and Kurapika, who both gave her sad looks.

"It'll be alright, Gen! The four of us can win our matches; It won't hurt for you to lose yours."

But she didn't want to lose. She wanted to win. To show them that she _did_ deserve to be here; that she was strong enough.

"You are strong, Gen! I told you that once before, remember?"

Vaguely, she did. On the elevator before they even started the exam. When Leorio pointed out she would probably fail.

"I meant it, Gen. You have a stronger mind and a stronger heart. I know you'd do anything for me, even if it hurts you in the process. That's why I'm asking you to stop. Now! For me."

She _would_ do anything for Gon. And the pleading tone in his voice tore at her. Even if she gave up, Gon wouldn't have to fight this man. Even if she lost, this guy couldn't hurt any of the others.

So, she lifted both arms up in the air and stepped back towards the bridge.

"I surrender."

* * *

"Gen, are you sure you're alright?" Gon asked, leaning over his sister as she rested against the hall wall.

"Yes, Gon," she said, smiling. "I'm a Freecss. We're _freakishly_ strong, remember?" Honestly, her back was stinging a little, but it wasn't too awfully bad. A little discomfort never killed anyone.

They'd taken a few minutes after her match to make sure she was alright, and even though Killua complained about the time, he seemed somewhat concerned himself. She assured them she was fine, and truthfully she was; she'd taken worse hits from this exam that weren't even really combat related.

"I'm gonna go next," Gon said, standing up straight. "You get some rest."

With that, he ran towards the bridge, grinning and waving at the group. Gen sighed and leaned her head back against the wall, looking over to watch her brother prepare for his match. On the opposite side of the platform, where her previous opponent stood, there was a tall, lanky man who seemed much less of a challenge than the man she faced.

_Thank goodness,_ she thought.

"These guys are long-term convicts?!"

Genesis jumped at the sound of Leorio's voice, stitching her brows together in worry. Convicts? Like people in prison for serious crimes? That made her a little more uneasy.

"It seems like they want to keep us in this tower as long as possible. Perhaps they get their sentences reduced for stalling us," Kurapika said, and that gave Gen a little bit of hope.

If their job was to stall them, then perhaps they wouldn't actually try to kill them, not so fast anyway. That would give Gon time to do whatever it was he needed to do.

"So what kind of match are we going to have?" Gon asked, and Gen had to laugh at his carefree attitude.

"I've got an idea," his opponent said. "Obviously, strength and speed aren't my strong points, so I'm not challenging you to hand to hand combat."

That was a big relief.

That being said, the guy pulled out two candles from behind his back, one noticeably shorter than the other.

"We'll light both at the same time, and whichever goes out first loses. Sound good?"

"Sounds simple enough!" Gon replied with a smile. "I wanna do that game."

With that, the convict instructed the group to decide on the candle: 'O' for the longer candle, and 'X' for the shorter one.

The group began to converse, so Genesis stood from her spot on the ground and walked up to them, wanting to be of some help.

"He's giving us a disparate choice, which is two choices where one seems so considerably favorable to the other that it raises suspicion. You inevitably start to second guess yourself, and it becomes nearly impossible to decide," Kurapika said, and Genesis stuck her head in between him and Killua.

"So why not just go with the obvious choice? Pretend the candles are even. Pretend there is no secret trick. It might not change the outcome, but it keeps you from twisting your mind into an Oak tree. And it also takes less time, which is unfavorable for them," Gen said.

Kurapika nodded his head at her and gave her a smile. "That's a good way to look at it, Gen. But overall, I think we should let this be Gon's choice," he said. "Gon, go ahead and pick one. Whatever you pick, we'll back you up!"

Genesis facepalmed.

"You're kidding me, right?" she asked. "You're leaving this decision up to my brother? _Animal boy?_" Kurapika raised his brow at her, giving Gon the okay to pick his candle.

"I pick the long candle!" Gon shouted.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"We're doomed," Gen said, but pressed 'O' on her watch anyway.

Once the votes were unanimous, the guy tossed Gon the long candle, and the two brought them to the torches to light them. Shortly after lighting them, Gon's candle sparked a giant flame and began to melt rapidly.

"What the-?" Gen shouted. "It's a trick candle!"

"That's what we were saying!" Leorio shouted at her, and she stomped on his foot.

"Well _so-o-orry _that I missed the first half of your conversation because I nearly got the crap beat out of me a few minutes ago!" she said, huffing and crossing her arms. "Instead of arguing, we need to help Gon think of a way to not get burned by his candle!"

Genesis could see the candle wax melting and sliding onto her brother's fingers, and though he didn't appear too bothered by it, she knew it had to hurt a little. By the time his candle had barely even an inch left on it, the heat caused him to drop it, thankfully not actually putting the candle out.

But what happened next was only something Gon would think to do in that instant. He jumped over to his opponent and blew out his candle.

And Gen just stood there dumbstruck.

"He did not just do that," she said, tilting her head in confusion. "Why did we not think of that?"

And then she did a double take. "Wait . . . did he just win?"

The entire group smiled as Gon came running back towards them with a wide grin on his face. Even Genesis, who had been a negative-nancy for most of the Hunter Exam, jumped up and hugged her brother on his way back.

"Oh my goodness, I love you, Gon!" she shouted, squealing.

While he just laughed and hugged her back, the others put on questioning faces.

"What's with her?" Leorio asked. "It was just one match."

Kurapika shook his head at Leorio, smiling as he watched the siblings. "I think she's just in shock. Glad that her brother is okay."

* * *

The next guy to step out made everyone in the group cringe. It would have been a massive understatement to say he was ugly, what with the stitching and bandages wrapped all around his face, the swollen eye, the tattoos of hearts on his chest, and the freakishly gray color to his skin. Genesis was surprised she didn't barf.

Kurapika decided to take this match, and Genesis actually wasn't concerned for him. Whoever this guy was, it didn't seem like fighting was his strong point, considering all the injuries he seemed to have. Either that or this guy had serious issues with a cosmetic surgeon.

The thing that really bothered her was the way the guy bragged about his nineteen kills and his desire to make it an even twenty.

_He'd better not even think about hurting Kurapika,_ Gen thought, crossing her arms with a pout on her face.

They decided to make it a match like Gen's: they fight until one of them either dies or gives up.

When the battle started with the ugly beast attacking Kurapika, Genesis puffed her cheeks out and stamped her foot, shouting at the ogre and telling Kurapika to kick his butt. Most of the group actually found her attitude rather funny, even Kurapika who chuckled as he jumped from the attack.

But all humor vanished from his face, and everyone else's, the moment the ogre's back was revealed. A tattoo of a twelve-legged spider was spread across his back and seemed to make Kurapika freeze for an instant.

"T-that means he's a member of the Phantom Troupe!" Leorio shouted.

"Phantom Troupe?" Genesis repeated, looking from Leorio to Kurapika. "Why does that sound so famil-Oh yeah! Those were the people who murdered Kurapika's clan!"

She looked over at Kurapika with sorrowful eyes. There was no way this was going to be easy for him. But it became obvious quickly that this news didn't cripple Kurapika; it only made him angry.

And that was all it took for Kurapika to attack him, smashing him into the platform. And when he did, Genesis caught a glimpse of him and gasped. His usually calm, blue eyes were now a burning, scarlet red, and she wasn't sure whether to be scared or captivated by them.

"Remember these three things," Kurapika said. "Number one, If you really were a part of the Phantom Troupe, your tattoo would include your member number, which it doesn't. Number two, they wouldn't bother to track the number of people they've already murdered. Three, don't ever speak of the Phantom Troupe again. Because if you do . . . I'll have to kill you."

A chill ran down her spine. This side of Kurapika scared her a little. And she didn't like being scared of him.

When Kurapika returned to them, everyone was a little on edge. Gen couldn't stop the thought that he might accidentally hurt them. No, this wasn't good at all.

It took Kurapika leaning down to her eye level, with a worried expression, to make her aware that she was shaking, and that her eyes were misting over.

"What's wrong?" Kurapika asked.

"N-nothing!" Gen responded, her voice catching in her throat as a few tears spilled over. The look on his face showed he wasn't buying it. "I'm s-sorry. I- I got s-scared."

"For me?" he asked blinking away his confusion. But upon further inspection of her expression, he realized what she meant. "Or . . . of me?"

She didn't want to nod, to tell him the truth. She didn't want him to know she was afraid, to give him a reason to stay away from her. She didn't like that idea.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw that spider and . . . and everything turned red." He stood straight and walked past them into the hall, scooting down the wall until he was sitting with his knees pulled up and his arms resting on them. "I get that way even when I see an ordinary spider. It seems my rage has not yet begun to fade away."

Genesis wished it would fade away. Spending your entire life, basing your entire being on taking revenge . . . it was no way to live.

But she was glad the match was over, and that they had won another point. At least, she thought so until the other team informed them differently.

"What do you mean the match isn't over?!" she shouted to the other side.

"I mean, it's a death match!" her previous opponent yelled towards her. "Your friend only managed to knock him out. He's not dead and he hasn't surrendered, so the match is still going on. So, either your friend comes out here and kills him, or we have to wait until he wakes up."

Well that sucked, big time.

"Hey Kurapika," Leorio said, turning around. "Get out there and finish that weirdo off so we can move on with the next match."

"I won't," Kurapika said, to everyone's surprise. "This match is over for me."

"Wait, wha-" Leorio protested.

"I allowed myself to attack an opponent who'd already lost the will to fight," Kurapika said. "I refuse to kill someone who's already been beaten."

This was the Kurapika she knew and admired. At that thought, her cheeks went red, but she soon realized the others found the situation differently than she did.

"You've gotta do something!" Leorio shouted at him.

Kurapika shrugged. "I'll leave it up to him. When he regains consciousness, he can decide his fate."

And that was where Genesis saw their problem. It could be hours before he regained consciousness, if he ever did before their time was up. And they didn't have that time to waste.

"We're supposed to be working together!" Leorio said angrily. "Majority rules, right?"

"It doesn't matter what you say. I won't do it," Kurapika retorted.

"Kurapika," Gen said, her voice small and still shaking slightly. "I know you don't want to . . . and I know it might go against what you stand for. I understand that, I really do. But . . . this is our exam we're talking about. What if he doesn't wake up anytime soon? What if we don't make it out of here in time? I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do, but Kurapika . . . we need you to do this."

The group grew into silence, a rare moment from Leorio's rant.

"Genesis," Kurapika started, and she thought that she might have gotten through to him for a moment. "I appreciate your effort, but if you really understood, you wouldn't ask me to do this."

Kurapika looked up, and the accusations she saw when his eyes met hers made her step back.

"But what I don't appreciate is any of you trying to force me into something I've clearly stated I don't wish to do," he said. "So unless you wish to speak to me about anything else, I suggest you leave me alone."

If it hadn't been for the fact that he had been looking directly into her eyes the entire time, she wouldn't have taken it so hard. If the disappointment in his eyes hadn't been so obviously directed at her, she would have defended herself.

But now, she didn't have the heart to do so. Her face paled and the mist from before sprinkled back into her eyes. She couldn't explain why his words made her chest tighten, or why she suddenly felt like she had done something wrong, something horrible, but she did. And she had to back up until she hit the opposing wall to keep herself from crumbling to her knees, and still she slid down the wall, her legs somehow tucked underneath her.

While Leorio's rant continued, this time involving Gon into it, she just sat there, stunned, her stare unwavering. When the tears in her eyes fell over, no one seemed to take notice. No one except the silver haired kid who remained silent during the argument: Killua.

He tried walking over to her and quietly getting her attention, not wanting to alert her state to the others, but he got no response. It was as if she wasn't even aware he was there. And, he thought, that she actually might not. The way she was staring, as if she was lost in her own mind proved it: she had logged out, had closed off the moment Kurapika looked away from her.

And for some reason, seeing her so utterly broken in that instant, knowing it was one of her friends that had done that to her, Killua felt a twinge of anger.

But he ignored it and turned his attention to the others, remaining by Gen's side though, just incase she were to snap out of it. He didn't want her to have to wake up alone, even more scared and confused than usual.

Weird.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Thank you so much for sticking around to read the 10th chapter! It means alot to me. So, if you wouldn't mind, drop by and leave a little review. What did you like? What didn't you like? Why did you like it? Why didn't you like it? Did you see any recurring errors that bothered you? Any opinions you have are welcome, except flames, they aren't welcome. But if you must, you must. Whatever am I going to do to stop you? Sarcasm possibly noted. Take it as you will._

_FYI Everyone, though it may not seem like Gen is making much of an impact on the plot yet, she definitely will be. Especially when it comes to finding their father and Nen training._

_Thank you, and I will see you all in my next update. Merci, les amis! ~Red-chan_


	11. Part 1: Deceit X Killua X Heartache

**Author's Note:** _Bonjour les amis! Wow, it's been about a month and a half since I updated with Chapter 10? Honestly, most of this chapter was written in a six hour period after being on writer's block for a good portion of the wait. But now, I come back with Chapter 11! and I hope you guys will like this chapter. Then again, I hope you like all the chapters so...Anyway! I think this chapter is a little cute, and this is one of the ones I've had planned for a while. The next chapter will be really fun to write. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! I apologize for any mistakes. If they're too jarring or get on your nerves, feel free to let me know and I'll see about fixing them!_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own HxH or any of its canon characters. I do, however, own Gen and future plot elements!_

* * *

_**Hall of Fame**_

_**Part 1: The Hunter Exam**_

_Chapter 11_

_Deceit X Killua X Heartache_

* * *

A couple of hours had passed since the group found themselves in a crowd of silence, stuck at a standstill as Kurapika's opponent remained unconscious and said boy remained constant in his decision to wait. Everyone was a little restless as they waited: Leorio sat in a corner grumbling to himself, Kurapika kept his eyes on his previous enemy, Gon and Killua stood facing the other platforms, a look of curiosity and boredom on their faces respectively, and Gen just sat with her head between her knees, focusing solely on her own breathing. In fact, she'd counted every breath she'd taken since she calmed down.

Someone stood and began to walk, and by the weight of the footsteps, she figured it wasn't Kurapika. She peeked her head up just in time to see Leorio settle in the space between Gon and Killua, making her curious as to what he was up to.

"Listen up," he said in a loud voice towards the other side. "I'm going to go check and see if that guy is really dead. If he is then this match is over!"

Hadn't they already discussed that none of them were allowed to interfere with Kurapika's match? Wouldn't going out there to check if the guy is alive or not be considered interfering? Apparently her former opponent had the same idea, because he assured Leorio that he wasn't dead. Leorio still wasn't buying it, and she could understand why. It'd been who knows how many hours since their argument, and at this rate, they'd run out of time before they got out of that blasted room.

Anger sparked in her eyes and wrapped around her heart as she seriously considered standing up and yelling at Kurapika. Not only was he being selfish and dampening his own chances of passing the phase, but he was also threatening theirs as well. After everything they'd gone through so far, it just wasn't fair for him to throw it all away. It wasn't his decision to make!

The anger sizzled out almost as fast as it had ignited, leaving her eyes sad and her shoulders slumped as she let her head fall back into her lap. She felt so ashamed of herself, getting so angry at someone simply for following their beliefs. Everything she said was true. He was being selfish, and he had no right to trample on their goals. But it also wasn't his responsibility to make sure they achieve what they desire. That was up to them.

And it seemed like Leorio already picked up that idea.

"How about we bet on it?" the prisoner asked. "Is Majitani dead?"

"And _what_ are we supposed to bet with?" Leorio asked.

_Funny_, Gen thought, looking up,_ I was thinking the same thing._

"What else? Time. Mine against yours," he replied with a nod towards a monitor on the right that Gen had failed to notice beforehand. "We'll start with fifty hours, and you can bet with however many hours you have. But, why don't we put the minimum bet at ten hours? We'll keep betting until one of us loses all our time. If you lose all fifty hours, then you'll only have nine hours left to make it through the tower. If we're clear on that, then we'll take turns picking the topics."

That didn't seem to sit too well with Kurapika, which led to an argument between him and Leorio, which ended with Gon playing peacekeeper. As they argued on, Killua stepped away from them, standing beside Gen but still looking on towards their bickering teammates.

"You sure you don't want me keeping an eye on you?" he asked nonchalantly, as if it was just another topic of conversation that popped up naturally.

"Positive," she replied, wrapping her arms around her legs and leaning her chin on her knees.

He sighed and glanced down at her. "All you do is fight with Leorio, suck up to Kurapika, and try to seem like a tough girl for your brother. I may work differently than normal people, but you don't. If you keep everything pint up long enough, you're going to explode."

"Nu-uh!" she replied, glaring at him. "And I do not suck up to Kurapika!"

"Right," Killua said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure you naturally agree with everything he says to the point of making yourself cry. You're definitely the self-sabotaging type."

She wanted to smack him, more than anything else at the moment. And if she didn't think it would attract attention, she would have done it, too. Instead, she tightened her arms around her legs and bit down on her tongue.

"It doesn't matter how I am with them," she said. "What matters is what makes you think that I'd tell you anything, and even rely on you to help me, when you know we can't stand each other."

"That's exactly why I think you should tell me," he said, his eyes leaving her and going back to their friends. "It gives us a reason to at least pretend to get along, for Gon's sake, and it'll stop you from being self-destructive and hurting your brother."

Once again, everything fell back to Gen protecting Gon. She had to; that ignoramus would drop everything if anything happened to her, at least, she feared he would. Even though it kind of made her happy to think that, it really would cause more harm than good.

"Why do you even care?" she grumbled, reaching to pull her hat down before remembering that it had fallen off during her match.

Killua noticed the slight panic in her eyes when her hand closed around air, which turned into a sadden expression as her forehead fell onto her knees.

"I can get you a new hat," he said. "If you make it to the end of the Hunter Exam. But to do that, you can't blow out and give up. Which means _someone_ has to have your back."

And she couldn't keep back the growl in her head that said '_why does that someone have to be you?!'_

"Fine," she said harshly. "But if you mention a word I say to Gon or the others, then I'll shoot _you_ out of my slingshot and into outer space!"

He wanted to laugh, he really did. The statement was so utterly ridiculous that it actually tickled his humor, but it seemed like an inappropriate time, so he swallowed it.

"That's fine by me," Killua said. "It's not like I want them thinking we're friends or anything."

The entire room fell silent, so Killua lent his ears and eyes back to where the others were. With their argument seemingly finished, Leorio accepted the terms the bald guy offered, betting ten hours that the purple guy on the floor was still alive. If he was right, then they gained themselves two extra hours. If he was wrong, then they got the point. Seemed like a win-win situation to him. Well, accept that they might lose ten hours, but that was something they could make up for easily.

Quietly, he slid down the wall to sit beside Gen, still facing the group. "Start talking," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I'll keep an eye on what's going on, so don't worry about that. You just talk and get whatever the hell is bothering you off your chest so you can finish off this phase."

Given the option, Genesis didn't really know what to say. Well, she knew what she could say, but she had no idea where to start. So, she just picked a random spot and started going.

"For starters, I don't suck up to Kurapika. I respect him . . . a lot. He makes a lot of sense, and even if I don't see what he means, I'm sure he's probably right. He is, afterall, older than us and has more experience in life. I mean, Leorio is older than us too, but he's Leorio, I don't think he counts." She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"My point was . . . I was just upset because . . . well . . . he yelled at me," she said slowly. "I mean, I've been yelled at plenty before, mostly by Aunt Mito, but by Gon a few times too. But this was different. Like I said, Kurapika is usually right, so if he's yelling at me and mad at me about something . . . then that means I must have done something wrong. And I don't like being reprimanded. Especially not by someone who I really look up to."

While Gen rambled on about her excuse, and he believed it was an excuse, Killua watched as Leorio checked the Majitani guy's pulse, telling them that he was still alive. Good. They got that one. Two extra hours. It wasn't a lot, but it gave them a little time to breathe.

When Gen stopped talking to listen to a conversation between Gon and Kurapika, he quickly clamped his hands over her ears for a second. She shook her head and swatted his hands away, which he dropped immediately.

"What was that about?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't pay attention to them," he said, flicking her on the nose. "Just keep talking to me. If something important happens, I'll let you know."

He turned his head away from her, and she wondered how he was able to know what was going on over there and hear her at the same time. She questioned if it was even possible.

"I said talk!" he said, and she instinctively covered her nose with her hand. She didn't want to be flicked again.

Deciding that he wasn't going to let her try and follow whatever was happening, she found her train of thought and continued with what she was saying before.

"I'm not strong," she said, stopping to check her wording and nodding when she thought it was good. "Well, that's obvious as day, but I don't like feeling inferior. I don't like the thought that I can't protect myself. If I can't protect myself, how can I protect Gon? Before you say that I don't need to protect him, think about how reckless he is and then tell me that he doesn't need somebody to keep him out of trouble? That person is me. It has to be. I'm his sister, his _twin._ If he can't count on me to stay beside him, then how can he count on anyone else? And how sad would it be if he couldn't rely on me, but he could on someone else . . . like you for example."

He gave her a warning glance out of the corner of his eye, but she just shrugged.

"I'm just saying. Anyway, Gon says I'm strong, just not in a physical way. I don't really see how any other kind of strength does much good. Not with him. If I can't physically stop him, he'll find a way to get me to go along with him. And that's really all I can do. Follow him . . . and hope I can whack him enough times to talk him out of something stupid."

It didn't register at first that she had gone quiet. He was too busy watching Leorio make his end of the bet: that Majitani wasn't really unconscious. Leorio's way of proving that was dangling the giant lug over the edge of the platform. THAT couldn't possibly go wrong. End result: they got the point, but lost forty hours because the stupid, bald guy changed his bet at the last second.

And then he remembered that he was supposed to be listening to twin girl, which was hard considering she wasn't speaking. He nudged her with his elbow, and she made a disgruntled noise.

"Stop. I was thinking," she said. "Last time you offered help, it was because everyone thought I was sick. I wasn't. I'd had a few more complications than usual, but that's it. It's not like it was a problem; I just hit my head a few too many times and-"

The sound of Leorio shouting caused her to stop. She wanted to peer around Killua to see, to hear, what was being said, but he wouldn't allow that. So, she just sat back against the wall, letting out an aggravated breath.

"Leorio is starting his match," Killua said, deciding giving her an update wouldn't be a problem. "And we got the last point, so it's not a big deal that Kurapika gave up his match."

Gen nodded and peered up, trying, and failing, to see around Killua.

"Alright," he said, sighing. "You can check out the match."

Instantly, Gen hopped to her feet, craning her neck to see the person opposite Leorio. And . . . well . . . it wasn't an opponent she would have thought would be there. They were a group of prisoners, yet there was some girl, a very pretty one in fact, facing Leorio. A girl? A murderer? It wasn't unheard of, she guessed, but it was an odd thought. She didn't keep it long though, because the longer she looked at the lady, the more an icky crawling feeling made its way into her stomach.

Said feeling twisted up even more when that lady made their next bet: was she a man or a woman?

"She sure looks like a woman to me," Gon said, and if she could have whacked him, she would have.

"Very true," Kurapika said, "but looks can be deceiving."

Great, now the Hunter Exam included mind games. Okay, before anyone said anything, Genesis needed to form her own answer. Of course, she wouldn't be the one answering, but if she had to shout out the answer to Leorio, then she would. For starters, they knew absolutely nothing about this woman, and she was positive at the moment that she was a woman. Determining that she was indeed a woman would be simple. Upon first look, nothing would suggest that she was a man. Her face was about as feminine as it got, and the curves of her body were definitely not something you'd find on a man.

But there had to be a reason she asked him that question. There had to be something about her that would throw him off, make him second guess himself. The only problem was, Gen couldn't see it. Nothing about her made her seem like a man.

...Except for the fact that she was giving him that option. Just the idea that she might not be what she appears is enough to put reasonable doubt into someone's mind. No matter how obvious the answer may look, it all came down to the fact that it was a mind game.

And Gen wasn't going to fall for it.

"I bet that you're a man!"

But of course, Leorio wasn't a genius, especially not when it came to using his brain for extended periods of time, and he would go with whatever answer looked like the best option. And for Leorio, the chance to verify the woman's gender was his best option.

"Leorio, you stupid pig!" Gen shouted, stomping her foot. "You're an idiot! She's not like me! She's definitely a girl!"

Kurapika, Gon, and Killua had all turned to look at her by this point. Her face was a bright shade of red, her lips were pressed into a thin line, and her fists were balled at her side. When she noticed they were staring, her shoulders relaxed, and she crossed her arms, her cheeks darkening.

Gon and Kurapika both drew into their own conversation quickly, leaving Gen and Killua to their own devices. Noticing that Killua was still staring at her, Gen stuck out her tongue.

"So," Killua said, a grin appearing on his face, "you finally admit that you look like a boy?"

That hadn't been what she meant to admit. It just . . . bugged her. Even when it was completely, physically, obvious that Leorio's opponent was a woman, he still said that she was a man, even if only for his own personal satisfaction. And that rubbed her the wrong way. Because even though Gen was a girl, everyone always thought she was a boy. True, she wore an orange version of her brother's clothing at the time, and kept her hair underneath a hat, but most people on Whale Island knew Gon had a twin sister. Yet, even people they'd encountered several times still called her a boy.

"I don't look like a boy," she said finally. "I have long hair, I wear a skirt, I'm emotional and sentimental, and even if I am a . . . . slow . . . . developer, I _am_ a girl. And I'm sick and tired you and other people insinuating that I am anything but that!"

Killua's hands went up in surrender, and as the other two began to make a commotion, both Killua and Gen turned to look in their direction. Before Gen could comprehend what was going on, something was covering her eyes. She would have thrashed to get out of its grasp, but her body tensed up and she couldn't. It took her a moment before she could relax long enough to know what was happening. And she assumed the same thing was happening to Gon. They were being blocked from watching Leorio 'examine' that woman.

"C'mon, Killua," she said, figuring he was the only one close enough to cover her eyes. "I'm a girl, I've seen what's underneath the clothes, and it's not a big deal."

Killua snorted. "If we're going by that logic, then it shouldn't be a big deal for Gon either. You're twins, so I'm sure Gon's seen you without your clothes on."

He didn't even have time to react before he felt the hard blow to his shoulder, and pulled his hands back to rub it.

"Good gah, what was that for?" he asked, rubbing his arm.

"For saying what you did. It was out of line and wrong," she said, and he wasn't sure if her face was red because she was embarrassed or because she was angry. Probably both.

"Maybe it was, but _ow_. How'd you hit me if you couldn't see?"

"Don't you remember what Gon said?" she asked, rolling her eyes and putting her hands on her hips. "I have impeccable aim. I never miss."

* * *

Gen wasn't sure how much longer she could stand there tapping her foot as they all waited for Leorio to decide on the next wager. He already made them lose almost all of their time, and if they wanted to win it back he needed to hurry up and pick something. Or by the time he did, there wouldn't be any time left.

And when Leorio looked towards their group with some wickedly lame, yet creepy, expression on his face, she knew they were doomed.

"Um, why is he looking at me like that?" Kurapika asked, discomfort in his voice.

Genesis shrugged. "Probably thinking something along the lines of wondering if you're a boy or a girl. You know, him being a total idiot."

Leorio seemed to catch what she said as well and sent her a glare, but she just gave him a big, wide smile and put her hands behind her head, whistling.

But her carefree moment was interrupted by Leorio's crazy woman/murderer.

"Were you perhaps responsible for the death of a patient that was in your care?"

Genesis was mid-whistle when she heard that, and she had to stop. Leorio's reaction seemed to prove what the lady was saying, and that unnerved her. And when she said that it was a close friend, and it got even more of a reaction, Gen felt those sickening feelings coming back into her stomach.

_No way. There's no way Leorio was to blame for someone's death. Especially not his own friend. Leorio's too . . . dare I say nice. Sure, he's a mega killjoy, and a money lover, but . . . he'd do anything to save someone. If they died, it couldn't have been from lack of trying._

Shouting. That's what she heard. A lot of shouting. Gon. Kurapika. They were shouting at Leorio. Trying to drag him out of whatever hell that lady had put him in. But it wasn't working. He was fading away faster and faster.

Every muscle in Gen's body tightened, and then she was running. She didn't remember deciding to run, but she did. She pushed past Kurapika and Gon, stopping only at the edge of the platform. Adrenaline was all she was running on right now. It didn't cross her mind that they were being timed, or that they had to get out of this tower. She even forgot for a moment that they were in the Hunter Exam.

The only thing she could think was that Leorio, her friend, was somewhere lost in his own mind, and they had to get him out.

"C'mon mister! Stop being a baby!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, feeling two hands grab her arms and pull her back a little. "If there was nothing you could do, then there was nothing you could do!"

Nothing.

"Every time I've gotten hurt, you've taken care of me," she said.

Still nothing.

"Please, Leorio!" She stomped her foot on the ground again and quickly spun, nearly running into her brother.

She picked up a palm-sized rock that was sitting at the edge of the platform and pulled her slingshot out of her boot.

"Get. Up!" She pulled back her slingshot and let go, sending the rock flying and knocking on Leorio's back.

By the way Leorio was dancing around, shouting towards their group, she assumed that got him back to normal.

"Genesis, it's kind of scary how much alike you and your brother think," Kurapika said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

The blond boy pointed to Gon, who had his fishing rod in his hands. "Were . . . were you going to throw that at him?" she asked.

Gon nodded. "But you have better aim, so I figured I'd let you do it."

* * *

Rock. Paper. Scissors.

That was the bet Leorio finally settled on. Who would win in Rock, Paper, Scissors? It was a simple, childish game. But it always was fun to watch.

Of course, even Gen became a little nervous when the lady wagered all of her time on the guess that she would win. And they only had ten hours left.

Even more annoyingly, Kurapika had to bring up the fact that this lady was some psychology wiz (at least, she sounded like one) and that she could use that against him in the game. A stinking game that a winner is usually determined randomly.

Why did everyone have to ruin and complicate the things she loved?

While everyone was asking themselves 'what is she gonna throw next' Gen kept on thinking 'Just pick one and throw. Don't think about it. If you think about it, then she can guess what you're thinking. If you do it completely random, it makes it just as difficult for her'. But no one ever took her advice, so she just kept it to herself.

In the end, she was right. Leorio second (and probably even third) guessed himself and ended up losing. Their final ten hours was gone. That meant, if they happened to beat the final prisoner, then they only had nine hours to get to the bottom of the tower. She was beginning to worry again.

* * *

Now it was time for the final match. That meant only Killua was left. And according to Leorio, they were pretty screwed if the match involved the use of a brain.

"Like you're one to talk. Your entire match was a mind game and you got your fanny kicked," Gen said, earning her a gawk from Leorio, partially because her comment was rude, and partially because she was standing up for Killua.

Everyone's attention shifted, however, when Killua's opponent took off his sheet and stood to face them. He was pretty big and brawny, probably even more so than the guy she had faced, and he didn't look like the kind to leave a fight alive.

And someone just had to prove her right.

Apparently, the guy's name was Jonas the Dissector. That wasn't a very appealing name. Then again, dissecting wasn't a very appealing image either. And even more horrid was that he was the worst mass murderer in the history of Zanban City. THAT sure wasn't comforting.

"...Killua..." Gen said, tugging on his sleeve. "I don't think you should fight him."

The silver haired kid just gave her an 'are-you-crazy' look, and shrugged her hand off.

"Don't worry. I can handle him," he replied. "Besides, it sounds like a fun game."

The walk way appeared again, and Killua walked across it towards Jonas. As he did, Gen felt that feeling in her stomach growing stronger, and she was almost certain she would throw up. Instead, she just took a few steps back, trying to take deep breaths.

"I say let him go," she said in between breaths. "If he wants to get himself killed, then so be it!"

"Don't say that, Gen," Gon said, and then smiled at her. "Remember, to Killua, this is just a game."

That did not make her feel any better. Killua was walking out into a death trap, purposefully. He knew he could get killed, and he didn't care one bit.

But it's not like she was worried about him. Why would she care if he got hurt? She just didn't want to see all that blood.

"Hey," Killua called over his shoulder, and Gen looked at him, still trying to take deep breaths. "If you're scared, or have a problem, just talk to me. I can listen AND kick this guy's ass."

She should have killed him herself for saying that, because it made the others look at them questioningly. But his statement seemed to calm her nerves a little. And so, she decided, she would talk to him.

And soon as it was declared a death match, she started shouting. At the top of her lungs. Whatever came to mind. Most of which were comments that had something to do with 'stupid, skateboard boy'. And then the match officially started and Killua moved to strike.

And when he turned around, whatever words she had been prepared to speak were long gone. In his hands was the man's heart, still beating even. As if that didn't shock her enough, he then proceeded to crush the heart . . . and then the man was dead.

And Genesis wasn't sure what she was feeling anymore. She was relieved, just a little, that Killua was okay, and that there really wasn't a whole lot of blood. Or maybe there was. She couldn't really tell at the moment. Because now, the sickening feeling in her stomach had turned into a hurricane, and it took everything she had not to lean over the edge of the platform and vomit.

Only barely did she hear the mention of a room where they would have to wait out their fifty hours. She couldn't even quite remember if Killua was back over with them or not. Her hands were at her stomach and that was all she could concentrate on. The feeling that made her sick to her stomach. A feeling that had been slowly growing ever since the start of the phase.

She was afraid.

And when Gon told them that Killua was from the Zoldyck family, the family of assassins they had heard about on the airship, she wasn't sure if she was more afraid or angry at the moment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked quietly, but her brother looked at her anyway. "You should have told me. I'm supposed to protect you, doofus!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Um, I'm sorry, Gen," Gon said, a little confused. "I thought you knew. You were there when Anita called him a Zoldyck."

She was. But she had also defended him, said that he couldn't be one of them. And no one had corrected her. How was she supposed to know?

She didn't want to be near Killua when he came back over. The closer he was to her, the tighter and hotter the feeling in her stomach became. The tighter and hotter it became, the more tears came to her eyes and the stronger the urge to lean over the edge was.

How she got from their platform to the one on the opposite side was a mystery to her, but she assumed it had to do with a lot of pushing, probably from her brother. Gon and Killua talked as they made their way towards their chamber for the next fifty hours, and Gen felt her stomach close in even more.

Killua truly was dangerous. When she had asked him about it on the airship, she hadn't actually thought him to be a threat; she was just being cautious. But now? Now she was genuinely afraid. For her safety and for Gon's.

So it was a surprise even to her that she slowed her pace and wedged her way between Gon and Killua, stopping, forcing her brother to stop as well.

"What's wrong, Gen?" he asked.

But she wasn't talking. She couldn't. She couldn't force herself to say it. If she did, she felt that she would break down, even beyond that. She felt like she would just break. Her stomach was so twisted that she could feel the tightness, the pain, the sickness; she could feel it in her chest, her arms, her legs, her head. It was consuming her, and she became afraid of her own fear.

_Talk to me. Ignore it and talk to me._

But how could she talk to him? He caused her fear. How could she do two things that felt like they would kill her?

"Gen?" Gon put a hand on his sister's shoulder and was surprised to feel her shaking. And when he moved to see her face, he saw the dried tears on her cheeks.

"It'll be okay," he said. "Killua won't hurt you . . . or me. Or any of us."

Gon looked between his friend and his sister.

"He's our friend."

That should have undone the knot. That should have told her that everything was okay. That should have reassured her. But that only made her more afraid. A murderer, an _assassin_, was their friend. And she couldn't tell if that would turn out to be a blessing or a curse.

She was picked up off her feet after that, and she was being carried. All she heard was grumbling from whoever was carrying her, and she thought it might have been Leorio. But the longer she was held, and the tighter she held to the person carrying her, the looser the knot in her stomach became. And as the knot released its pressure, she felt her eyes getting heavier and heavier.

Until they were closed, and she felt herself calm down and relax. She was almost completely asleep when she realized that she was lying on something now. It was soft, and something even softer was tossed on top of her. But her eyes were too heavy to open and look.

The last thing she heard, and she couldn't tell if it was something one of them actually said, or if it was her dream coming to whisk her away, was:

_Sweet dreams, baby girl._

* * *

**Author's Note: **_There you go! Chapter 11 of HoF! I would appreciate it if you reviewed. Tell me if you liked it or if you didn't, and if you could give me a little why that'd be cool, but not necessary. You're welcome to review with anything you think that needs to be fixed. I accept just about any kind of review, because I love hearing from my les amis! Well, except for flames, but if you must, I have a fire extinguisher on hand! I hope you liked it, and I'll see you guys when Chapter 12 is finished! _

_Merci, les amis for reading! ~Red-chan_


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